How Did It Come To This?
by Lu82
Summary: This is a very crazy and funny story about Muse. are you ready for absurd stuff? BellDom.
1. I: You lost:forfeit!

Hello!

I used to post A LOT of Buffy stories here, but truth is that I've been writing RPS slash for about four years now. And I've just found out you can post this kind of stories also here! Yaaay!

So, let's begin: this is my very first BellDom fics (plus, the longest I've ever written so far), if you didn't already know it, I hope you'll enjoy!

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?

Setting: from December 2006 on..

Main Characters: Matt and Dom (but also Chris will have his moment of glory once in a while, lol )

About the title , as you can notice, it's taken from the lyrics of 'Time is running out ' . Guess which band sings it? ;)

Disclaimer: the characters belong just and only to themselves. I just 'borrow ' them to play a little bit and make some fun of them, because no matter how much I adore, love, admire them etc, etc, it's just too bloody funny to try to make a parody of them all, 'exaggerating ' some of their attitudes..

And no matter how much Muse are wonderful, unattainable , unique.. etc, etc, I enjoy picturing them this way soooo much!

Anyway, they will probably be pretty OOC sometimes , I warned you ! ;)

Plus, this wants to be just and only a fluffy and very, very, VERY surreal and absurd funny story, so don't take anything seriously, ok?

And, since it became an habit , by then, I don't mind about their real tour dates or places. I'll invent it all, ok? ;)

One last thing, very, VERY important : I guarantee that in real life I have nothing, really nothing against their girlfriends (well, ex-girlfirends now, but back to when I wrote it , they still were together) , quite the contrary, I ADORE them, they're such two nice pairings ! awww !

But in this story their girlfriends are not gonna be adorable at all, both Gaia and Jessica . That's because , since this is a Belldom-verse, it hurts me less if it's two unbearable versions of them who pay the price, instead the (real ) adorable versions, ok? :)

So, sorry, a huge , majestic 'SORRY ' to both of the girls!

I guess I'll keep repeating that ;)

SUMMARY: Dominic and Matthew has been friends since.. always. They love spending

time together, they love having long chats, they love their complicity, they

love their capability of mutual and immediate understanding. But maybe they

don't love just these things.. and they got this doubt after what was supposed

to be just a harmless game of cards..

Ok, let's go:

Chapter I: You lost: Forfeit!

"What lap was that? Number eight?" Dominic wonders, as he blows in his hands, pulling the collar of his coat closer and enjoying the warmth it gives to him.

"No, it was number nine. Now there's only one left for him to run. And I guess its better this way, poor Chris; I think that one more would probably kill him!" Matthew answers, as he stands outside with him, but, contrary to him, he just wears a pile sweater and he seems pretty comfy with that.

After all, Matt is getting accustomed to the place and the climate.

They wait for a couple more minutes, and finally they see from afar the robust figure of a very dead beat Chris as he cuts that imaginary finishing line.

"Ten! I succeeded, although I guess I've never run so much in my whole life!" he gasps, trying to catch his breath as he unbuttons his coat, all that running made him feel pretty hot. And then he bends over, with his hands on his knees and a grimace of pure pain on his face.

"Layabout, all this fuss? for a little running!" Matt makes fun of him.

"What? Maybe you haven't realized yet how big your house is. But I have, since I ran around it... ten times!" he complains.

"A forfeit is a forfeit!" Dominic states.

"Yes. And a little work out didn't ever do any damage!" Matthew adds, exchanging an understanding gaze with the blond.

"But... but... I'm lacking breath here!" the other protests.

"So? It's not as if we have a show to do tonight, is it? And even if we had, since I'm the one who sings, I need breath so much more than you do!" Matthew points out, fully aware that this is a subject that his friend is very touchy about.

"Hey, I'm a singer as well!" his interlocutor snaps.

"To make some chorus and some feeble second voice here and there is not real singing!" the other strikes back, enjoying the moment more and more.

"So, Dom, did you hear Bells? That's what he thinks of me!" Chris grumbles, turning to Dom and acting as if Matt wasn't there.

"Judge yourself lucky. At least he lets you sing…" Dominic sighs

gloomily.

"Listen, it's not my fault if you can't carry a tune! Don't you remember what a disaster 'Blackout' was when you were in the chorus? We had to take you off that to make it work. It's already too much that I let you sing the 'pa ra pa ra ' part whenever we play the cover of 'Can't take my eyes off of you ' , but lucky I always manage to cover you with my guitar!" Matthew replies.

Chris and Dominic look at each other, puzzled and astonished.

"It's so damn true that Christmas atmosphere makes everyone nicer." Dominic comments sarcastically, glaring at Matthew.

"It seems that Christmas time has no effect on him… or rather it's just the opposite one!" Chris adds, glaring at Matthew the same way.

"Maybe. Anyway, Chris, it could be even worse than that, couldn't it? I could have made you swim in my lake, too, after all. And, please, notice: its winter, so it doesn't sound like something pleasant, and certainly it doesn't sound very healthy!" Matt strikes back.

"For the last time, Matt, it IS NOT your lake!" Dominic rolls his eyes, exasperated.

"Well, it's almost as if it was!" the other shrugs.

"Let me remind you that you have to share it with a certain Mr. Clooney!" the blond insists.

"Uff, don't remind me of that unbearable big-headed Mr. Hollywood who has nothing better to do than hanging around with his unattainable yacht with plenty of beautiful girls! I hope he chokes from all the Martini he drinks!" the brunette snaps, annoyed.

"C'mon, Matt, you have a beautiful girl, too!" Chris comforts him, as he wonders why he's doing that, after what Matthew said to him.

"Yes, but he got more than one! Plus, I haven't got an unattainable yacht. Correction: I haven't any kind of yacht!" the other protests.

"Sometimes you can't get what you want… "Chris starts, but Matt

doesn't seem to even listen to him, absorbed as he is in his absurd machinations.

"Phew, I should have asked the whole staff if, after making the video of ˜Starlight ˜, I could keep that ship.. as a souvenir!" he thinks out loud, caressing his chin.

"Yeah, yeah, Matt, they would surely let you keep that. After all, I kept the rocket launcher, it seems an equal request to me!" Dominic comments with his previous sarcasm.

"What about coming inside? I'd rather not get pneumonia…" Chris changes topic and then he turns towards Matthew.

"Although I guess there's a certain someone who wouldn't care so much, since I'm kinda replaceable!" he adds, pretty insulted.

Matt's only answer is to burst out laughing.

"Oh, c'mon, big guy! After all these years together, are you not able yet to realize when I'm just kidding?" he pats his shoulder friendlily, as they walk towards the house entrance.

Dom gets closer, looking at him hopefully.

"Were you just kidding, even about me?" he dares to ask.

"Gee, Dom , no. I was extremely serious with you. I'm sorry, my friend, but you're a hopeless case. You have to accept that you can't sing!" Matt informs him, patting his shoulder, too, but unlike before, those pats are just to comfort him.

They come back in the big dining room of the house, sitting again around the table, as Dominic doesn't waste any time by shuffling the cards for a new poker hand.

The three guys are enjoying a more than deserved break, after the end of the European tour, to recharge the batteries before starting the American one.

And as the break coincides with the Christmas Holidays, Matthew decided to invite them all to his villa, at Como, with all their sweethearts, too, of course.

Their women had dedicated that afternoon to the most frantic shopping, maybe also in order to find the last minute gifts, and Como certainly doesn't lack stores.

So, the guys have taken advantage of that to enjoy themselves with a nice game of poker , but to change rules a little bit and turn it into something more careless and somehow also more childish , instead of using money, they decided to pay their debts by forfeit. And the winner gets to choose the forfeit.

So in the first poker hand Matthew won and poor Chris had to pay the consequences!

"My revenge will be implacable!" Chris swears as he picks up his cards.

" You'd better give it up. You know, the Goddess of Fortune doesn't like you very much." Matthew teases him, as he picks up his.

"She could change her mind, perhaps.. " the other strikes back, and then a concentrated silence falls.

Chris can't almost believe it when he discovers even the fifth card. Maybe, in his hand, in that messy way, those cards don't seem to make much sense, but it's enough to display them in the right order and.. hell yeah they make sense! A lot of sense.

Anyway, he doesn't make his friends figure out anything.

Dominic is not happy with his cards, so wisely he decides to fold.

Instead, between Matthew and Chris the challenge is still open, as they both try to fool each other with their gazes.

He's just bluffing, I know he is doing… he can't have a better poker hand than mine! Matt thinks, deciding that it's time to 'call '.

"I dare you to overcome this!" he teases him with overconfidence and boldness, showing a Full House, made by three Aces and two Queens.

Chris pretends to be fearful, and then he bursts out laughing.

"I do dare to overcome that!" he exclaims, showing with a winning grin a Royal Flush, nonetheless.

It seems that the only ace Matt missed to have a 4-of-a-kind helped damage him in the worst way ever.

"You lost: forfeit! " Chris declares, with an evil laugh , as he searches for the best revenge ever.

"You must.. Uhmm.. you must.. " he mumbles, until he's enlightened by a sudden idea that is a bit hazardous , but diabolically brilliant. "You must kiss Dom!"

"WHAT?" is the answer he gets from the other two, in unison, as they both are more than puzzled and shocked.

"You heard me right!" Chris confirms.

"Hey, it's Bells who has to do forfeit. Why are you involving me, too?" Dominic protests.

"I'm involving you, because it was you who suggested him to make me run around this bloody villa!" Chris points out.

"But it's him who accepted it!" the blond protests.

"I don't care, you're gonna pay hard for that, both of you!" the other threats them.

"Well, it's not such a revenge for me. I mean, c'mon, it's only a kiss, nothing big, I'm gonna please you right now.. " Matthew comments, approaching to Dom who glares at him with the biggest diffidence ever, almost tempted to back off.

The hell with 'I'm gonna please you right now ' ! What is he going to do? NO way I…

Something stops the blond 's thoughts. It's Matt who, with a catlike leap, has managed to catch him and then he hugs him, giving him.. just a noisy kiss on his cheek.

"It's done. Now we can resume playing!" the brunette states, trying to come back to the table, but Chris prevents him from doing that, standing in front of him.

"Where do you think you are going? Don't even try, Bells, you know better than me what kind of kiss I expect from you two!" Chris warns him, with a tone you can't show any remonstration to.

"Oh, c'mon, Chris, forget it! I mean.. do you want to punish us? Ok, find another way.. I don't know.. make us swear we won't drink a single glass or wine for a whole month .. " Matthew suggests, but immediately after Dom and he stare at each other in deep disbelief. "Oh, bugger what I've just said! Let's just fucking kiss and get that over with!" he decides, but also the blond seems resolute as well.

They begin getting closer to each other, but, although it takes them only a few seconds, it seems to last for hours.

C'mon, Matt , it could be worse… at least you're not kissing the unbearable Clooney. the guy comforts himself, as he gets closer and closer, closing his eyes.

C'mon, Dom, you've been through something worse, just like when Matt threw his guitar on your head, at the end of a show . No, on second thought, it was better than this.. or maybe not? the other thinks, closing his eyes as his friend does.

And when their mouths finally meet, after an initial wavering, something unexpected switches on.

The blond makes his hands run through Matt's hair, the same hair that had turned almost every colour, year after year. And Dom must admit to himself that there was never a colour that he thought didn't suited him. Not even a very absurd, weird blond he had kept for a while.

Because Matthew and eccentricity go hand in hand.

His style is eccentric, sometimes his attitude is eccentric, the kiss they are sharing is eccentric, the fact that it is not over yet is eccentric, and mostly what Matt is doing to him is eccentric.

Yes, because the brunette is caressing his face slowly, with both of his hands, almost as if he wanted to memorize his features, as if he was about to create the most wonderful symphony in the world and to do that he desperately needed every of those notes.

And as their kiss starts turning into something more passionate, it takes just a few seconds for them both to give out something that almost seems to be a moan.

"Ok, it's enough, guys!" Chris stops them.

Matt and Dom feel as if they've just waken up from a dream, brought harshly back to reality.

They stare at each other, puzzled and shocked, trying to read in each other's gaze what they felt, but they fear to find that out at the same time.

"And to think that.. it was supposed to be a forfeit!" Chris comments, stunned.

"And it was for real. It's just that.. I was thinking about Gaia!" Matthew justifies.

"Right. And I was thinking about Jessica!" Dominic justifies.

Maybe, Chris is even more confused than them, because he keeps wondering in his mind why, after seeing them, he has the odd sensation that his jeans turned a little bit tighter, out of the blue.

Of course, it's just because I was thinking about Kelly.. he tries to convince himself.

A deep, awkward silence falls and lasts for several minutes.

It's Matthew the one who breaks that, saying something that mirrors all the three guys' thoughts.

"We should better resume playing with money, shouldn't we? "

TBC

A/N: I absolutely know nothing about poker, I just visited tons of sites to learn something about, I hope I didn't make a mess !

I hope you'll like it so far, but feel free to tell me anything anyway! ;)


	2. II: You shouldn't have

Thanks to whoever read this!

Chapter II : You Shouldn't Have..

For Matthew and Dominic it's not easy to forget.

For Matthew and Dominic it's * impossible * to forget.

And even Chris is puzzled and shocked as well.

To begin with, once they returned to the table, in order to start a new game, the three guys did nothing but simply stare at their cards , probably without even seeing them for real.

And that utter absence of activity goes on for a long time.

So much that they wouldn't be s surprised if, out of the blue, all those cards jumped down on the table, with the Kings standing in front of them , linking arms with their Queens, as the Jacks stand behind, watching over them, and they exclaimed : ' Sorry, guys, but it's taking you too much time. If you don't mind, we come back in the pack! ' and after that they left, followed by the Aces and all the other numbers.

Obviously, nothing like that happens during that afternoon.

It would be more probable in the past, maybe under the effect of some special ' mushrooms'..

When the girls come back, they don't even seem to notice them.

After all, Gaia, Jessica and Kelly are too pleased by all the shopping bags that they shake proudly to care about anything else.

Nothing can annoy them, not even the apparent catalepsy of their men.

In that moment they are just on an important mission: to lock in their room and wear all the clothes they bought once again, to verify if there's any subtle difference between the mirrors in the stores and the ones in the house.

After all, that gives the guys all the time they need to recover.

Anyway, during the following days ,things don't improve for Dominic and Matthew.

Everything, really everything reminds them of that bizarre moment and of the even more bizarre feelings it switched on.

And to keep staying together in the same place where it happened doesn't help them at all.

Besides, Gaia, being a great lover of all the Christmas decorations, didn't hesitate covering the whole house with all the most typical decorations, most of all tons of mistletoes, and even Matthew ignores the places that they could pop out from.

That's why, every single time he has to walk through a room with Dom, they both walk with extreme caution, as they keep taking looks around, as tense as a chord of a violin , almost as they were walking though a minefield!

Maybe because for them to accidentally stand under one of those diabolical mistletoes and accomplish their diabolical tradition would be even worse than to make a bomb explode.

That is the last thing they need and the most alarming fact is that if it happened for real.. neither of them would be so reluctant..

"This is the last day that you are guests in my house, and so far everything went fine.. " Matthew says as they take a stroll outside.

"Yeah. I found just some mistletoes, but it happened when I was with Jessica, so .. it's more than normal!" Dominic explains.

Hearing that, Matthew feels an unexplainable pang of jealousy.

"Things couldn't be righter.. " he answers, pretending indifference.

And, unexplainably as well, that reaction almost lets Dominic down.

"Imagine what would happen if you or me stood under some mistletoes with … Chris!" the brunette exclaims, laughing.

"The only word that could describe it is ' catastrophic '! Plus, I guess that to be already kissed by one of the members of the band is more than enough!" the blond strikes back, spontaneously , but he realizes what he said too late.

And the atmosphere becomes tense once again.

Oh no, damn me, what have I done? Now we came back to the subject we swore we wouldn't face anymore. Can I turn back time, just a few seconds? This time I promise I'll keep my bloody mouth closed! the blond curses himself.

It's not that the brunette is any calmer than him.

Oh, no, here we go again! Calm down, Matt, nothing big happened. Now you absolutely must do something. No, wait, don't do anything at all! And don't speak! No, wait, speak and change subject, immediately! No, that's even better, change your direction, take a road opposite to his , keep walking and come back just and only when you quit feeling so.. so.. so weird.. Matthew summons himself, but then, from afar, they hear their girlfriends' voices and when they reach them, the two guys welcome them with the same enthusiasm of someone that finds a refreshing oasis, after wandering in a desert for days.

So, each of the couples searches for some privacy.

Even this time Matt and Dom rescued themselves. They can't even explain from what, but they just know that they rescued themselves, although they can almost bet that that rescue won't last for long.

Chris and Kelly are the first ones who leave, that night, in order to get back to their children in time for the Christmas Eve.

Dominic and Jessica leave the morning after.

The three guys will meet again just when the tour starts again.

Gaia is glad that the house is intimate and quiet again, but, from Matthew's point of view, it's just deserted and solitary once again.

The guy loves having people around, even more if the 'people ' in question are his friends.

Anyway, he knows that Christmas Eve is something that it's much better to spend in intimacy.

Too bad that now he starts wondering if it's that the person he really wants to spend that moment with, as he observes his girlfriend waiting eagerly for the twelve knells of the clock, before rushing under the Christmas tree, to unwrap the gifts.

As it's easy to figure out, Matt's gift is the first one she decides to open, which is the smallest one, and it's not just accidentally.

Because he exactly knows what she wants: anything that comes from a jeweller.

And usually her happiness is directly related to the value of the gift.

She unwraps it very eagerly, throwing away the little envelope inside, without even bothering to read the card inside, no matter how much time he spent to find something special to tell her, convinced that the already pressed text wasn't enough.

Evidently, the girl seems to prefer to listen to his wallet than to his heart.

In fact, as soon as she open the blue velvet little box , discovering the golden bracelet inside, she wraps her arms around his neck, all cheerful.

"Ooooh, Matt .. you shouldn't have!" she mews, giving him a noisy kiss on the lips, as he almost doesn't want to answer to, all busy to stare at the rejected card on the floor.

Plus, after all that time he learned to read between the lines, so he knows that that ' You shouldn't have ' actually means ' Don't even try to give me something else, maybe some stupid and childish stuff that you use to give me when you're back from a tour! '

As he's still busy to decode that hidden message, Gaia gives him a kinda large package, grinning proudly.

"This is from me, c'mon, open it! " she exhorts him.

Matthew begins analyzing the object he's holding in his hands.

Uhmm.. no, it's too small to be a boat! So, maybe it's a certificate to buy the lake of Como and finally rename it 'Bellamy Lake ' ? No, it's too big to be that.. Hey, what the hell am I talking about? I don't even know if a certificate like that exist for real.. I seriously doubt that..

"So, what are you doing, all frozen and still ? Do you want to open it or what?" she brings him back to reality.

Matthew pleases her, unwrapping it and lifting up the lid of the box, discovering the outfit for men inside

A pair of trousers and a jacket, totally black, classic style, , sombre , refined , very elegant. In a word, banal.

Just the kind of style he's allergic to.

"You shouldn't have.. " he exclaims, with a fake grin and an even faker enthusiasm.

But he means that ' You shouldn't have ' literally!

Too bad that after all that time , Gaia has also learned to read between the lines.

"What's wrong with that? " she snorts, kinda annoyed.

"Nothing. It's beautiful, I really like .."

"Matthew!" she scolds him.

"Ok. It's just that.. you know.. this outfit.. doesn't let my ego free to express itself!" he finally confesses.

"Here we go again! Love, let's face the truth: your ego has no sense of style!" she strikes back, earning an icy glare from him. "Don't stare at me like that! It's just the pure truth. C'mon, you're almost thirty years old, so I can't let you go around, dressed like a.. "

"Like a what?" he challenges her to go on.

"An eccentric guy!" she explains.

"Liar! I know you were about to say ' an idiot' !" he accuses her, acting insulted.

"Actually, I was about to say 'a demented guy ' , but more or less it's the same!" she shrugs.

"Anyway, I made a stylist draw this dress just and only for you, so you're gonna wear it in tons of special occasions!" she insists.

Oh, yeah, sure. A funeral. A vigil. All stuff like that.. he thinks, kinda bothered, but then he sees her getting closer to him, flushing her long eyelashes and making moony eyes at him.

"Oh, c'mon, Matty, do we really want to fight for such a stupid reason? " she murmurs, with a sugary tone, skimming his lips with hers.

Actually, we would have tons of other reasons to do that… he ponders, letting her deepen the kiss, even if unwillingly, as he can't help looking at the other gifts under the tree and wondering, kinda upset, why there's not one from Dominic.

TBC

That's all for now, I hope you'll still like it. Please, let me know whatever you think!

p.s. I 'm sure that the real (adorable ) Gaia is nothing like ' the Gaia in this story ' . ;)


	3. III: Can't take my mind off of you

Thanks to whoever read this!

Chapter III: Can't Take My Mind Off Of You

It's the New Year and Matthew has never waited so eagerly for it to arrive.

Not exactly for the party it usually requests, but for what it brings with itself: the beginning of the new tour.

And that leads to the main consequence: to see his friends again, but mostly to see Dominic again.

He missed him so bad that he thinks it's not very normal, but he doesn't mind, since in the last twenty days, nothing seems to be normal to him anymore.

Although she likes America a lot, due to her business engagements, Gaia decided not to follow him on tour, but that doesn't make him feel melancholy, not even nostalgic.

Quite the contrary. That makes him feel just.. free.

And this is another thing that is not reported in the dictionary of normality, supposing that that dictionary exists, of course.

This and many other considerations belong to the brainstorming that surrounds the guy, during his flight to New York, and it probably went on even when he was busy sleeping.

But now he's more than awake and bouncy, well aware that it will take no longer than one hour for the plane to land.

So he waits, drumming nervously the fingers of his hand on his leg, restlessly, with a rhythm that gets more and more frantic, and soon also the other hand mirrors the first one, on the other leg.

Maybe he's doing that to will the time away, maybe he's doing that unconsciously and that's a sign of his huge impatience, or maybe he's just doing it on purpose, in order to keep himself away from his thoughts, at least for a while.

Too bad that he realizes soon what he's actually doing.

Alright, Matt, what the hell are you doing? You're drumming. And * who * usually drums? Drummers do. And * who * is a drummer? Dominic. And * whom * were you supposed not to think about anymore? My, compliments, genius, here we go again! his conscience scolds him.

So, he immediately stops drumming, with visible relief of the person who sits next to him, an old man who was busy snorting in his face, annoyed, glaring coldly at him and cursing all the young people and their utter incapability of keeping still and quiet for a bunch of seconds.

No doubt about that, he surely preferred him when he was sleeping.

His only answer, Matthew glares at him as well and shrugs, turning to the other side, towards the window, admiring the view.

Uh, yeah, First Class has all its advantages, but truth is that it's also plenty of old, snob people who are annoying and incredibly as boring as hell! On second thought, in Economy Class it would be even worse. I can already picture myself there, surrounded by a bunch of fans who wave some pics, covers of our CDs and some diaries, hysterically, waiting eagerly for me to sign them. And then they drive me blind with all the flashes of their cameras, they drive me deaf with the volume of their screams, and they drive me dumb, trying to persuade me to perform the play-list they want the most, already knowing that each of them has a different request! I love fans and everything, but.. no way, First Class is way much better! Anyway, there's no so plenty of fans where we are going to start the tour now.. Well, after all, our main goal is to get more fans even there. Hey, but.. wait a minute. I did it, I succeeded! I'm thinking about something else, no more Dominic! Oh, no, shit.. here we go again! Ok, how long did I resist? Three minutes? Well, that's a start! the guy surrenders, rolling his eyes and putting his hands in his hair, ruffling them, before letting himself fall down on the seat, kinda heavily.

And that impact makes the old man jolt, and consequently it wakes him up, just when he had finally managed to fall asleep. And that makes Matt earn another icy glare from him and an unintelligible grumbling, although he manages to clearly hear a couple of swear words!

The old man turns his back to him, and snorts annoyed once again, trying to regain his sleep, as Matthew finally knows what to do to will the time away: to start working on a featuring song called ' Inconveniences of the First Class (Damn, old, bloody grouch, I'll turn your life into a living hell, although, judging by the way you look, your life seems already about to end soon!)'

And between his several machinations and evil plotting, the plane finally lands.

Matthew gets off and hurries to recollect his suitcases, especially his very showy, eccentric bright pink trolley, almost fuchsia.

It's very probable that he borrowed it from Gaia's wardrobe, but it's even more probable that he didn't… and that's even more worrying.

Once he's recollected all his things, he rushes into the first cab he finds available, heading towards the hotel they will stay at.

He gets off the taxi, grinning and giving a very generous tip to the driver and, not to waste any time, he doesn't even ask for help with the suitcases.

Still grinning, Matt runs towards the stairs, taking the steps two by two, although the suitcases make it more laborious.

He knows for sure that Dominic is already there. They talked on phone the day before and Dominic told him that he would arrive in the morning. Instead, Matthew and Chris would arrive in the late afternoon.

There's no need to say that hearing him by the phone is not the same for Matt.

He misses his eyes, his smiles, the funny, amused, astonished, shocked, perplexed or even enthralled faces that he uses to make at him, especially during some interviews.

Yes, that's true. He's still thinking just and only about Dom. By then his conscience already gave in, since he rushed into the cab, letting him free to do and think whatever he pleases.

After all, for Matthew it's impossible not to think about Dominic, especially now that he's about to see him again.

In fact, he gets in with such a rush that he almost runs a pairing of old people over with his trolley, and they snap, almost insult him, scold him due to his recklessness and glare at him the same way the old man on the airplane already did.

That does nothing but making Matt more and more willing to set up a war against senility!

Anyway, not even that takes the grin off his face and his happy expression, but as soon as he sees who is waiting for him in the Hall, his grin fades away, as who saw him gets up, walking towards Matt with a warm and sincere smile.

"Bells, here you are, finally!" Chris greets him, with a manly and fraternal hug.

Matthew forces himself to smile back at him.

Of course, he's very happy to see Chris, too, but it's not what, or better *who * was supposed to fulfil his hopes and expectations.

So, he absolutely needs to know more about the holder of his hopes and expectations.

"What about Dom? Is he not here?" he asks, trying to make it seem a normal question, something he said just to talk.. and not something he's dying to know.

Who knows? Maybe he's in his room, resting a bit. Oh, no, is he sick? No, it can't be. Dom has never suffered due to travels, not even the longest ones. Plus, he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'tiredness'. Nothing seems to enervate him, he's just concentrated energy. he loses himself in his mental wandering, once again.

"Ok, I'm gonna repeat it, because it seems that you weren't listening at me at all.. " Chris comments, rolling his eyes. "Dom called me this morning , saying that owing to a series of hitches he missed the plane, but he caught the next one, so now he should be arrived, maybe he's already on his way to the hotel.. " Chris explains. "Anyway, I know what kind of hitches he had. I bet that it's Jessica who made him miss the plane… if you know what I mean!" Chris winks, chuckling.

And Matt knows what he means, he knows that damn well, that's why he feels again that unexplainable pang of jealousy.

Correction. By now, whatever he likes it or does not, that pang is becoming more and more explainable.

"Anyway, it's so odd that you didn't see him at the airport, since more or less you should have arrived on the same time.. " the bassist adds, as the front man is almost tempted to smash his head against the wall.

So, Dom was already there... and I didn't notice that? Ok, although I was 200% sure that he was already here, couldn't I bother to take a look around anyway? Stupid, damn, bloody ,useless rush! Matthew curses, but, obviously, that's not the answer he gives to his friend.

"Yeah, but, you know.. airports are always so messy, with all the crowd and stuff … anyway, it's not a tragedy, we'll just wait for him here!"

"What about having a beer as we wait?" Chris suggests.

"But.. you said he could be here in a bunch of minutes.."

"Of course. That gives us time for a beer.. or two!" the other chuckles.

"Uhmm.. I don't know if.. " Matt protests weakly, looking outside the window.

"Damn you, Bells, don't be a pain in the ass. You know that I don't like to drink alone. Plus, it just means that we'll wait for Dom a little bit drunker than we are now. Let's go! " Chris insists with that authoritarian tone that Matt already knows pretty well, just as he knows that he can't show any objections to him.

So, he'll just have to follow and please him.

********************************* (in the meantime)

Oh, poor me! I'm really ruining myself completely if now I even get hallucinations! I swear that before I saw, at the exit, as a flash, a trolley identical to Matthew's one.. .and such an exaggerate color can't be mistaken. Plus, I seriously doubt that there can be on this Planet another guy who is crazy enough to dare owning a suitcase like that one.. .except for me, of course! I already know that sooner or later I'll borrow it from Matt, maybe without even informing him about that. Plus, it would mach those trousers of mine so damn well.. Dom thinks, as he's heading to the exit.

Just as Matthew did, he also has spent all the time trying to push away uselessly those thoughts that he didn't even think it was possible that one day they would cross his mind.

Why, why, why, why? Stupid poker, stupid forfeit, stupid kiss.. oh, no, no. That kiss was everything but stupid… he corrects himself, and whatever he wants or does not, he finds himself smiling at the memory.

And his smile gets larger and larger just at the thought that, after a bunch of days that seemed to be endless to him, finally he's about to see him again.

So, I can take him apart, we can talk about that a lot, facing everything, so after that we'll be finally free to explore each other.. Uh, no, nooo, NO ! Damn me, I meant 'explain each other ' ! Gee, what the hell am I doing now? I justify myself… with myself! Damn you, Matt, what the fuck did you do to me? I don't know why I can't take my mind off of you! he wonders, puzzled.

Something helps him dissolve that confusion a little, because the mobile he has in his pocket starts ringing insistently.

He draws him out and clicks the button to answer, without even bothering to look at the display, because he already knows who it is.

"Jessica, love, I was just about to call you!" he exclaims, filling his tone with all the sweetness he can muster.

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, who knows why I'm always the one who does it first!" the girl on the other side grumbles.

"But, luv, you don't even give me the time. I've just gotten off the plane.. "

Sure, before losing myself , frying my brain, for almost * twenty minutes *.. and due to a trolley! he realizes.

"Ok, I understand. So, when will you be back?" she asks.

"But.. I've just arrived! It will take the time the tour requests, let's say a month, about, I've already told you.. "

"But I miss you… " she protests, almost yelping.

"Jess, honey, we've been together until this morning. I've even missed the plane for you, is it not enough?"

"No! I already miss you. And you? Don't you miss me?"

Hell no, if you don't even give me the time to miss you! he ponders, annoyed, being very careful not to turn his thought into his actual answer.

"Sure, I miss you. A lot. C'mon, you gotta hold on just for a month, and then I'll come back to you.."

"Yeah. Just to disappear again due to another bloody, stupid tour!" she adds, bitterly.

"First, a tour is never stupid. It's my job, you know that. It's a part of me, as I'm a part of it, why can't you see? " he rolls his eyes, receiving just a muttered grumbling as answer.

"Anyway, if I'm not wrong, now you are in a country that barely knows who you are.. " she states.

"Don't be so negative now. After all, we have already some fans here , too, but the main reason why we are here in the States is to increase their number.. " he explains patiently, for the umpteenth time.

"I just think it's wasted time. Time that you could and you * should * spend with me!" she strikes back.

"Jessica, we already talked about that. It's important to me.. "

"But to me it's not. Not at all. Dammit, Dominic, I'm your girlfriend, I'm supposed to have the priority on everything else!" she protests.

"Listen, I don't want to start fighting just now that I'm about to say bye.."

"We are not fighting!"

"When two people have utterly different opinions about a matter and one of them insults the other one's job, well, believe me, that's fighting!"

"I didn't insult what you do!"

"You just called it 'wasted time', and, for the record, that's not a nice thing to say at all! Plus, see? You don't even manage to call it 'job '!" he makes her notice.

"You're right. I don't want to fight, too. What about erasing the last five minutes and make peace, my love, hmm?" she suggests, all sugary.

"Ok. Peace, but you must accept what I do.. "

"Uhmm. I'll try. Anyway, that won't prevent me from missing you. Call me soon, honey, I love you, bye.. " she murmurs.

"Me, too…" Dominic replies, without believing his words very much, before hanging up.

That feeble statement almost sounds like a question that he's asking to himself.

He knows very well that they didn't make peace at all and they will inevitably end up fighting again at the next chance they have to talk, and due to the same reason.

Anyway, he doesn't even care now.

All he desires is to see again the guy who, not only totally understands that reason, but he's also an integral part of it.

TBC

Ihihih, I'm evil, I know, I didn't make you see them reunited! ;P

But I'll make you forgive me with next chapter.. whenever it arrives ..

I can already tell you that one of them has a surprise for the other, I don't think it's hard to figure out who .. ;)

I hope you'll still like it ;) Pleeeeease, tell me what you think… whatever it is, c'mon, don't be shy! ;)

p.s. I 'm sure that the real (adorable ) Jessica is nothing like ' the Jessica in this story ' . ;)


	4. IV: So happy that I could

Sorry, I realized now that the symbols I use when characters think doesn't appear here, so I replaced it it - - , ok?

Sorry for the previous chapters. 

Chapter IV: So Happy That I Could …

"So, are you ready for tomorrow? We still have to set the playlist and.." Chris comments, but when he turns to his supposed listener he meets only the empty seat and half glass of beer abandoned, followed by a sudden gusts of wind, provoked by Matt's rapidity, because, after seeing from the window a taxi coming from afar and then stopping at the Hotel, he rushed to the Hall, yelling 'Dom is here, Dooooooooom is heeeere!'

Matthew doesn't know how he can be so sure that Dom is inside that taxi. He just knows that.

Maybe, in the last quarter an hour, with some help from beer, he managed to develop a kind of sixth sense that allows him to feel the blond 's presence and he even quit thinking about how extremely worrying the whole thing is.

-Phew, he never shows me such a merry welcome. It's useless that he keeps saying in the interviews 'I swear I adore Chris and Dom in the same way! '. It's so damn clear who his favourite one is!- Chris ponders, almost pouting, but then he just shakes his head and smiles, following his friend.

Because he's also happy to see Dom again. Of course, not with the same eagerness Matt has, but he's happy.

It's curios how, although he's the oldest guy in the band, both of them treat him as if he was the youngest one, because he's always the most 'spoiled' one, the one who gets more attentions.

After all, it's impossible not to adore Dominic. He's always happy, he's a born party-boy and his good mood has something contagious for whoever is around him.

Said 'party-boy' gets off the cab and waits for the driver to take his bags, but as soon as he realizes that Matthew is looking at him from the glass window he becomes petrified, staring at him insistently.

There's Chris, too, in the Hall and he looks at him, waving his hand, but for unknown reasons Dom seems to notice only Matthew, even more since the brunette started staring at him with the same intensity.

It's almost as if they were trying to tell each other a million things all at once, and to do that the only way is to exchange that look plenty of meanings.

Matthew doesn't make a single move to come out and Dom doesn't make a single move to come in.

Chris seems to notice the sudden state of paralysis that his friends fell in, so he tries to guess which one will recover first.

And the first one is Dominic, as soon as he realizes that also Chris is there.

As a matter of fact, he shakes his head and waves his hand at him, as he resumes having the cheerful and careless attitude that characterizes him so much.

Too bad that he still have tons of thoughts in his mind, but after all he seems to disguise that pretty well.

And as a chain reaction, also Matt recovers, smiling as if anything was perfectly normal, as he waits patiently for him to get in.

Well, 'patiently' is a too big word.

Matt waits for him to get in. Period.

And during the waiting, can his thoughts give him a break?

Of course they can't!

- So, tell me, what did you expect? That he ran into you, grinning, wrapping his arms around your neck, yelling your name happily, maybe as a soundtrack from a sickly movie popped out from nowhere? Can't you see it? He's totally indifferent, just as he should be. So, you'd better take off your mind those absurd and disquieting ideas! - his conscience resumes bothering him, more belligerent than ever, after recovering from the previous jet lag she had.

Yes, because also consciences have jet lag.

In the meantime, also the blond's conscience doesn't twiddle her thumbs.

Yes, because also consciences have thumbs.

- No, Dom, stop it. There's no need to rush into the Hall, you can get there quietly, just walking, step by step. And mostly there's no need to run into him! Can't you see how calm he is? Just like he welcomed anyone. Mark it in your mind, you're not in one of those sickly, sugary movies with slow motion scenes and a sappy music as background! So act normally! -

Following the advices of their consciences , that are scarily similar, but mostly scarily blind, Dom finally gets in, and Chris welcomes him first, with his classic manly, and brotherly hug.

"Here we go, the diabolic trio is finally reunited! " the bassist exclaims, smiling, as the other two barely manage to say 'hello' with two half smiles, keeping prudently far from each other, of course.

Dominic can't help noticing the showy Matt's hot pink trolley that is still in the hall, with the rest of his things.

- So, it was really him! - he realizes.

"Well, now I guess you should better take your bags in your rooms. See you later! " Chris suggests to them, before greeting them and leaving.

After walking through the same path, included also eight floors on the elevator, once he reaches his room, Dominic decides to break that awkward silence that has fallen between the two since Chris left them all alone.

"So, Bells, wassup? Did you spend your holidays well?" he exclaims.

"'Well ' is not the most proper word. Let's say I spent them. And thanks to my lucky stars, they're finally over!" the other answers, glad that the bloody silence is finally broken.

"Why? Were they really so terrible?" the blond asks, curiously, as they both rest on the threshold.

The invitation comes almost spontaneously.

"Do you wanna come in? After all, you can arrange your bags later.. " he adds, opening the door and showing the room to him, although it's the first time he also sees that.

"Do you wanna know how they've been? Ok, let's start with Christmas. Gaia decided that it was enough to spend it just with one family.. hers. Lucky for me, my mother understood and didn't get upset, I promised I'll pay a visit to her as soon as I'm back to England.. " Matt explains, as they both sit on the bed and Dom takes off his jacket.

"I understand you. Neither did I manage to come back home for the holidays.. " he informs him.

"Yes, but at least you didn't have to spend the whole day with a bunch of people who doesn't speak a word of English! As long as Gaia was the interpreter both for me and them, everything was fine, but every time she left, she was busy or she simply was sick of that, it was a total disaster! After all, when all you can say in their language is ' Hello ' ' Good evening ', 'How are you? ', some names of town , 'This song is for.. ' and 'Draw out your mobile ' .. well, it's not that you can start any brilliant conversations." Matt explains, making his interlocutor laugh.

"It's your fault, because you don't try your best to learn their language, you, lazy guy." Dom pretends to scold him.

"As it was easy! What about New Years Eve? I greeted the new year wearing the saddest outfit ever!" Matthew goes on with his tale, or rather his complains!

"I don't believe you!"

"Instead, believe me. It's Gaia 's gift, an outfit totally black, with nothing, really nothing that is at least a little showy. She practically forced me to wear it, and you can't even begin to imagine how stubborn that girl can be!" he rolls his eyes.

"Plus, she didn't even allowed me to wear one of my flashy shirt, or at least a pair of braces to make it more interesting. And guess what she dared to say to me? She said that I'm almost * thirty * years old! I mean.. hello? I've just turned twenty-eight years old!" he goes on.

"Well, Matt, since that was * seven * months ago, you can't really say 'just turned '.. " Dom makes him notice.

"Hey, are you on my side or what?" Matt grumbles, kind of slighted.

"Of course I'm on your side! You know that you look like a guy who's nothing more than twenty-five years old!" the blond immediately eulogizes him. "Anyway, if that comforts you, also Jessica can't choose gifts properly. Do you want to know what she bought to me? An overnight case. Nice, prestigious, fashioned and everything, but.. what the bloody hell am I supposed to do with that? To put my drumstick inside it to bring it with me when we have a tour?" Dom informs him and this time it's Matthew the one who laughs.

"I'll tell you, I know why she gave me that. Because she probably hopes that I'll use it for a job interview I'll have one day, since for her this is not a reliable job at all. And to think that we are already at our fourth studio album, with many and many years of career behind. I could even quit now and live and make her live wealthily for the rest of our lives.. .but it seems not to be enough to persuade her.. " the blond rolls his eyes.

"Instead, Gaia believes in my job even too much, especially in the money it makes me earn .. " the brunette rolls his eyes.

"Speaking of Christmas, did you like my gift?" Matthew wonders.

"I loved it. Didn't I tell you yet? Anyway, I'm gonna wear those jeans tomorrow, on our first gig!" Dominic exults.

"It wasn't easy at all to find a colour you hadn't yet, but as soon as I saw those acid green, almost glowing , I immediately thought that those jeans were born just for you!" Matt smiles.

Dom smiles back, but then he stares at him, questioningly.

"Wassup?"

"C'mon , you can tell me.. "

"Tell you what?" Matthew frowns.

"C'mon, didn't you notice that there was something missing under your tree?"

"Oh, yes, but I thought that.. "

"You were wrong. Truth is that I couldn't leave it there, if Gaia saw that, she will probably throw it in the fireplace or stuff like that!" Dominic explains.

"To give you it before Christmas wasn't nice, so, even if a tad late.. " he goes on, opening a compartment of his suitcase and drawing out a soft package.

"Merry Christmas, Matt!" he smiles, handing it to him.

As soon as Matt unwraps it, he seems to symbolize the fifth essence of pure joy.

"Nooo! I can't believe it! How the hell did you manage to do that?" he exclaims, wearing immediately the gift in question, which is a golden hat, surrounded by some silver stars all around, as a circle.

"I remember how much you adored it and how upset you were for losing it during a tour. Anyway, see? I lost count of how many stores I visited, country after country, but I succeeded, I found its perfect twin! " Dominic smiles proudly.

"I don't know how to thank you. I'm so happy that I could kiss you!" Matt states, getting slightly out of hand.

"You already did. " Dom reminds to him.

"It's true. Sorry, I didn't..."

"It doesn't mean you can't do that again." the blond murmurs.

Matt takes off his hat as his eyes go wide, in a mix of surprise and disbelief, wondering if what he heard is just a joke of his imagination.

- It can't be! Not now that we were talking and acting just like two friends.. and everything seemed to be normal again. And now.. here we go with that odd feeling I was starting to believe it was just temporary.. - Matt gets disquieted.

- Damnit! I'd really should better design a machine that can turn back time, at least a couple of minutes back. I can't have said that for real. Oh, no, from now on Matthew won't even look at me anymore, he will be disgusted.. - Dom gets alarmed.

"Uh! Well, now I should better go unpacking my stuff. " the brunette pretends not to have heard the last sentence, getting up from the bed and gathering all his things.

"You're right. Let me walk you to the door.. " the blond agrees, following him.

"Thanks again for the gift, it was just .." Matt comments, pushing the door open, but they make the huge mistake to rest on the threshold, where a surprise is waiting for them.

"I know you were here. I heard your voice from outside. And I knew you had to get out of there, sooner or later. So, now.. .here we go!" Chris exclaims, waving a mistletoe on their heads, almost as if it was a sort of wand.

Black magic, judging by the sinister way he bursts out laughing, immediately after.

"Where the hell did you find it?" Matthew wonders, stunned.

"Let's say I borrowed it from your girlfriend's collection!" Chris informs him.

"But Christmas time is already over!" Dominic protests.

"Yeah. So, what? The tradition remains anyway. You know it brings good luck. And with this American tour that starts tomorrow, we do need good luck. Plus, it's just a little kiss, I'm not asking much, am I?" their friend exhorts them.

"Why are you doing that?" Matthew asks him, a little bit bewildered.

"Well, just to annoy you. I saw that when we were at your house, Dom and you used to dodge them as if they were the most dreadful thing in the world. So, I just had to do that. But now, stop talking, respect the tradition!" Chris insists, but he doesn't need to incite them any further, because, after something like two seconds, maybe also due to the things they have said to each other before, they are already engrossed in a kiss that soon turns from tender to more demanding.

It's a kiss who is urged by the huge desire they both had to do that, a desire they had been trying to fight, repress, ignore for more than two weeks, but does nothing but making them enjoy that moment even more.

It's as if during that kiss there were nothing but themselves.

There's no paranoia, no trouble, and mostly their girlfriends seem not to exist anymore.

They forgot even about Chris who is there with them, until he talks.

"Oh my God! What the bloody hell are you doing?" he interrupts them, shocked, almost screaming and that makes them jolt, realizing what they're doing and consequently making them part from each other.

"Well, it's simple. We were doing what you asked for, weren't we?" Matthew shrugs, with all the nonchalance he can muster, almost as if Chris had asked them just to stand on one leg.

"Yes, but.. don't you know that for the tradition is enough just a simple little kiss, even on the cheek?" Chris makes them notice, more and more shocked.

"Of course we know that, but you wanted it to bring good luck, on the cheek wasn't enough. Let's say that we sacrificed ourselves... for the tour's sake!" Dom justifies, as he tries to recover from that storm of feelings that kiss created.

And for him it's enough to glance quickly at Matt to realize that he's also victim of the same storm, even if he seems to disguise that better.

"I.. I don't know... " Chris grumbles, perplexed.

"Instead, I don't know why you keep asking us the same thing. I think you have some serious problems, mate!" Matt makes fun of him.

- Even if Dom and I have a bigger and scarier one! - he frowns immediately after.

"Hey! I don't have any fucking problem! Anyway, if I didn't know you better.. I would say that you enjoyed that kiss!" Chris comments, leaving.

Even if he said that just for fun, the guy can't even begin to imagine how right he is.

Once they are alone again, Matt and Dom seek refuge in the respective rooms, without saying a word, since they're still too confused to face that delicate subject.

- Well, after all Matt seems not to be disgusted at all! - Dom ponders, as he still have to establish if that comforts him, alarms him.. or pleases him.

TBC

As you probably already know, that hat I described exists for real ( and it suits him so damn muuuch! ) , you can see it here: .net/gallery/data/media/18/paris_

I seriously doubt that he lost it for real, but I know for sure that, not happy with that, our dear Bellamy has also its opposite version that's the silver one with the golden stars. I don't have a pic right now, just believe me, but I'm sure you already knew that, too ;)

I hope you'll still like it and have fun with this story.


	5. V: I think we are in trouble

You know, I like the characters in my stories to have some whims .. an example?

Well, 'this ' Matt will love ships as much as he hates old people.. don't ask me why.. I don't even know why, it's just that he turned out like that.. and I decided to keep him like that ;-P. Plus, he will be kind of .. very insane ( in a good sense, of course ) , sometimes ..

What About Dom? Well, he will be very, very childish, sometimes, and just * a little bit * narcissistic .. ;)

And Chris? Well, he will get pretty paranoid once in a while.. and .. no, I'd better not reveal too much ! ;)

Ok, I guess I can start the new chapter now:

Thank you all for reading!

Chapter V: I Think We' Re In Trouble

Matt and Dom try to spend the rest of the night with Chris, as if nothing happened.

About their friend, he really seems to have removed the previous episode, and that's maybe thanks to the most efficient of the Freudian defence mechanism.

Instead, the other two don't want to forget anything at all, but at the same time they don't want to talk about it either, not that night at least.

Above their heads there 's the same dense and gloomy cloud that is better known as.. guilty sense.

There's no need to say towards whom.

And that feeling keeps them company all the night through, but the morning after they manage to get rid of that frustrating sensation in the only way they know: a sort of expiation for what they did.

Each of them puts it into operation his way.

Matthew spends the whole morning in his room, calling Gaia at the phone and telling her tons of sweet and romantic things for almost one hour and half, as the girl answers to every sentences of his with a hasty 'Yeah. Me, too.. ' . The phone call goes on until he recalls that that night there's a show to play and maybe he'd better save some voice for that, too.

Also Dominic is pretty busy that morning, but instead of staying in hotel, he has decided to go shopping, looking for a gift to send to Jessica, sure that gestures are more effective than words.

Anyway the mission is everything but simple, since he has to be careful not to 'communicate ' too much.

He totally rejects flowers as potential gift, since he knows that Jessica has read tons of books to learn the language of the flowers , so if he chose a bouquet composed in a certain way he could even made the unforgivable mistake to send her the message ' You know, lately I don't think about you anymore, because I'm thinking way too much about my best friend! '.

And he also judges jewels pretty dangerous, any kind of jewel, because it would sound too much as an engagement, and that's something that he wants to keep himself as far as possible from.

After all, Dom doesn't even know anymore what he exactly wants.

Or rather he does, but he's scared to admit it even to himself.

After several researches, he manages to find the proper gift, something that says ' I'm not hiding anything to you, I'm just doing that just and only because I want to. Everything is more than fine and, most of all, my best friend is the last of my thoughts! '.

In a word, a gift that's a liar as much as Matt's phone call.

After assuring himself that his gifts will be sent to his girlfriend, Dominic comes back to the Hotel, straight to his room.

Anyway, he comes out a few minutes after, walking through the corridor , heading towards Matthew's room.

He put his hand as a fist, but before his knuckles can make any sort of contact with the white, enamelled, cherry-wood door, the boy changes his mind and comes back to his room, from which he pops out a few seconds after.. walking back to Matt's door, with the same purpose that meets the same result.

And he goes on like that at least two or three times more, until a familiar voice behind his back stops him.

"Are you going to keep doing that for long? You'll end up leaving a drill!" Matthew exclaims.

Dom turns abruptly and sees him on the floor.

What he doesn't like is that he's leaning from the banisters, and according to Dom he's leaning from there way too much.

As a matter of fact, he rushes towards him, all anxious and apprehensive.

"Nooo, Matt, get the hell away from there! It's the eighth floor, don't act insane! Maybe making the video of 'Bliss ' confused you pretty much, but let me clear a couple of things: you won't float in the air, you'll just crash down the floor, bloody violently. And you won't even have the time to sing half verse!" he explains alarmed, trying to pull him away.

His only answer, Matthew bursts out laughing madly, and whenever he does that there's no living being who can resist to that contagious laughter. As a matter of fact, Dom bursts out laughing with him.

"Why.. why are we laughing?" he manages to stop a bunch of seconds after.

"Because.. were you really thinking that I was about to throw myself from the banisters? And then * I * am the catastrophic member of the band!" Matt replies, trying to recover.

"So.. why were you there?" Dom questions him.

"I had fun watching the people who pass once in a while, especially the ones on the down floor, because they seems so minuscule from here. Plus, looking down.. getting that vertigo sense.. I don't know.. it helps me think, I almost can say it inspires me!" the brunette confesses.

"Does vertigo inspire you? Ok, maybe I became catastrophic, but you are and you'll always be the weirdest one!" the blond teases him.

"Maybe. Anyway... if I think that you really believed that I ... I was about to... " Matt comments and he's about to burst out laughing again.

"So, tell me, what did you do this morning?" Dom hurries to change subject, otherwise he knows that Matt would probably never stop making fun of him.

And, almost as if it was a spell, Matthew became immediately serious.

"I made one of the longest phone calls of my whole life!" he sighs.

"To Gaia, right?" the other realizes.

"Yeah. And I lost count of all the sweet, fluffy things I said to her.. there's only a problem: I didn't think them for real." he sighs once again. "And you? What did you do?" he asks him, immediately after.

"I looked for a gift for.."

"Jessica." Matt anticipates him, but his isn't a question, it's just the answer.

"Yeah. And at the end I found the proper stuff."

"What?" the other gets curios.

"A blond puppet that looks like me a little bit, vaguely. Anyway, this puppet looks impatiently at his watch as he stands on a pedestal with the written 'Can't wait to see you again ' . And then I also bought to her a bag, a belt and a pair of earrings.. "

"Cool! Anyway.. jewels? Someone is looking for a serious engagement.. " Matthew sing songs.

"Who said 'jewels ' ? I just talked about earrings. And earrings are just accessories! " the blond clarifies.

"No, they're jewels.." the brunette insists.

"Accessories!"

"Jewels.."

"Accessories, accessories, BLOODY, DAMN, FUCKING ACCESSORIES!" Dominic persists, getting angry.

"Ok, you're right, they're just accessories." Matt gives in, also because he's kinda scared by his reaction. "Anyway, about what you did.. does it make you feel any better?" he asks him.

"Not at all, I think that it's the falsest thing I've ever done." the blond sighs.

"Same feeling here." Matt admits, with the same mood .

"Coming to what we were saying before, saving the fact that I found your 'Indecision Dance ' very amusing.. " Matt chuckles.

"Hey!" Dominic acts insulted.

"Were you looking for me to talk to me?" the other goes on.

"Yes, you know, it's about the.." Dominic answers, but he has not time to finish his sentence.

"Finally, here you go! I looked for you for half New York!" Chris exclaims, coming out from the elevator.

"Actually, I've stayed in my room all the morning long, it's Dom the wandering guy!" Matt clarifies.

"I had my reasons!" Dom shrugs.

"I don't even want to hear about it. Now we go have lunch and then straight to do the sound check, I bet that you have already forgotten about that!" Chris comments and it's already enough that he's not pulling them by their ears.

"Uff, since there's not Tom suffocating us, for once .. can you explain to me why you are playing his role?" Matt snorts.

"Because he asked me to do that and he knows he has chosen the right person!" Chris explains proudly.

"I still wonder why Tom is not here with us this time.. " Dominic mumbles.

"The official reason is that since this is just an Opening Act, it's something less exciting, so he decided to let us free for once, since he's sure that we'll deal with everything on our own, pretty well." Chris explains.

"What is the unofficial reason?" Matt gets as curios as Dom does.

"Well, it seems that our Tom has half a love affair with a girl who does his same job, so they both 'abandoned ' their bands to enjoy a relaxing holiday, all alone." the other reveals.

"Our good old Kirk rules! So, what band does she work for?" Dominic wonders.

"This is a majestic taboo. Not only he didn't want to tell me, but he also said that he's better if we never find out. " the other explains and that makes them all puzzled. "Anyway, let's quit with the gossip. We have an intense afternoon to face, and don't even try to disappear again!" Chris adds, walking towards the elevator.

"Yes… Daddy!" the other two make fun of their friend, following him.

"Very funny!" Chris rolls his eyes, pushing the button.

Without making Chris see him, Dom gestures to Matt that they'll talk later about what they both know they can't ignore.

A bunch of hours later, they are wrapped inside the walls of a studio, playing the whole playlist plus some extra that they could decide to add at the last minute.

'Hyper Music' is one of these extra songs and once they're done with the performance, to recover from all that yelling, for Matt, and from all the frantic, restless playing, for all of them, they establish that they earned a break.

Chris doesn't waste any time and takes advantage of that to leave the room and go call Kelly on the phone.

Matthew and Dominic could do the same with their girlfriends, but this is the last of their thoughts.

After all, Matthew has talked with Gaia so much that he could even go on without calling her for a whole week, but the main reason why is that they both have another priority.

"Do you want to know how I spent the flight?" Dominic exclaims, getting up from the drum set.

"I'm listening!" the other answers, placing his guitar on the floor.

"I saw two kids who were fighting playfully.. and I thought about you and me.. " the blond begins his tale.

"It's normal, when we were kids we always fought.. and sometimes we still do.. " the other smiles.

"I saw two guys, about our same age, and I thought about you and me.. " the blond goes on.

"Well, that's normal, too.. maybe it's because they looked like you and me a little bit, somehow.. " the brunette justifies him.

"And then I saw two pleasant old men. And I thought about you and me, when we will be.. "

"That's unacceptable!" Matthew cuts him off, indignant.

"I know, it's exaggerated.. " the other admits.

"No, it's not for that. It's just that old men can't be pleasant, ever! All old people are rude, misbehaving and unbearable grouches, it's scientifically proved!" he clarifies.

Dominic stares at him as if he came from another planet.

"So, tell me, how is it scientifically proved?" he asks him sceptically.

"Don't ask me how, it's just proved. Period!" the other insists.

"Bells, do you know that one day you will turn inevitably old , too?" Dominic makes him notice.

"Of course I do. But I now I'll be the exception that confirms the rule!" he declares proudly.

"What about me? Will you end up hating me then?" the other gets alarmed.

"Never. You will be the exception with me!" the brunette smiles.

"Or maybe neither of us will get old, if I manage to build that machine to bring time back . " the blond thinks out loud.

This time it's Matthew staring at him as if he came from another planet.

"Uh?"

"Never mind, it's such a long story.. " the other rolls his eyes.

"Anyway, coming back to your flight, I guess that even that it's normal.. at the very end.. " Matthew states, although he doesn't sound very convinced.

"Maybe, but then I saw even two clouds in the sky and I thought about you and me! Do you think it's normal even that?" the blond astounds him.

"Dammit, no! Hell no, that's not normal at all! But, if that comforts you, it's not that I spent such a different flight, after all.. " the brunette admits.

"Dammit, Matt, what do you think about the whole situation?" the other gets agitated.

"I think we are in trouble. " his interlocutor answers, getting as agitated as Dominic. "But.. maybe it's not too late to get over with that.. " he adds, immediately after.

"You're absolutely right!"

"It's happened nothing too.. compromising.. "

"Absolutely nothing!"

"Plus, everything is more than justified. The first kiss was due to the forfeit, the second one to bring good luck at the tour.. " the other goes on.

"Absolutely yes!"

"So, I guess that you and I can keep being best friends, as always.. "

"I absolutely agree!"

"But no more too close contact, and mostly no, bloody no more kisses for any bloody reason at all!"

"Absolutely none!"

"Why the bloody hell do you keep saying 'absolutely'?" Matt snaps.

"I have absolutely no idea, I absolutely swear to you that I'm not doing that on purpose.., I just can't stop! Maybe it must be a sort of nervous reaction.. " Dominic justifies.

"Well, you'd better quit it right now, if you don't want me to punch your pretty face, because it's very irritating!" the brunette threats him.

"I'm sorry, I already told you that it's not my fault, it's just that.. uh! It seems that it worked!" the other informs him, relieved.

"Threats always work!" Matt states, but then he realizes that Dom is staring at him kinda confused and visibly blushed. "What?" the brunette wonders.

"Do.. do you really think that I have a pretty face?" the blond wavers, staring at the floor before finding the courage to face his look again.

That does nothing but making Matt find him tender.

"Everything about you is pretty.. " the brunette smiles sweetly, getting closer, almost tempted to raise one hand in order to caress his cheek, but then both of them realize what they're doing.

Already knowing where that path would bring them to, they decide to change direction immediately, but they're so bewildered that Dom sits at the piano and Matt sits at the drums.

After recalling what instrument they actually can play, they switch positions, as they both hope to see Chris come back as soon as possible, because they have no idea about what else can happen if they keep staying alone.

TBC

As you have probably noticed, this chapter never quit being surreal , not even for a second, and the rest of the story will keep being this way, if not worse!

Usually I show you some pics, but this time I would need an audio file , just to explain what Matt's laughter is (just a word: Hullaballoo DVD) , but I'm sure you already know that, eh,eh!

I hope you'll still like it and have fun read it, but feel free to tell me whatever you think, as always ! ;)


	6. VI: It's better if it doesn't happen

Hello.

Thank you soooooooo much to whoever put this story in the 'Alerts ' , it means sooooo much to me.

Sure, I'd prefer you to say something (even a word ) about it, but… whatever! ;)

Chapter VI: It's Better If It Doesn't Happen

A few seconds later, since they see the handle being pushed down, they both sigh with relief.

Someone is going to get in, that means that they won't be alone anymore and that's enough to make them serene.

Well, it's not that their thoughts are exactly the main icon of serenity.

- Uhmm… it's too soon, it can't be Chris. But it's ok anyway. It may be a technician who must fix something, or someone from the cleaning service who wants us to go away in order to.. I don't know.. to clean the floor, maybe. Or maybe it's our most devoted fan who followed us even here and managed to avoid the security. Or.. maybe it's the most dangerous criminal ever who wants to kidnap us to ask a massive ransom. Wait a minute. A kidnapping would mean only a thing: Matt and I , far away from everything and everyone, God only knows for how long, plus we would be left alone so many times, no matter if gagged and tied or not.. we would be alone. Period. Oh, no, please, not the kidnapping , it's better if it doesn't happen. - Dominic realizes.

- No way, it can't be Chris. He never spends less than twenty minutes on phone, whenever he calls Kelly. So, who can it be? Maybe a rival band who wants to sabotage us, maybe it's those ridiculous newly-fledged band who dares to perform * after * us! Gee, I'd like so bad to take their guitars and smash them on their heads! After all, I wouldn't even bother to use one of mine.. Or maybe it's an old grouch from a rest house nearby who came here to complain about the 'terrible noise 'we are making. Dammit, I hope for him that he won't really have the guts to call our music 'terrible noise '… otherwise I could smash a guitar on his head, at least after that he would have a valid reason to complain.. if he survives.. that's it. Uh! What is this sudden urge to smash guitar on people's head? And why should there ever be a rest house nearby? But mostly.. how bloody long is taking that damn door to open?- Matt thinks as fast as he uses to speak.

Finally the door gets open, revealing that it's just Chris.

"I finished sooner than I thought, because my little Ava woke up, so Kelly had to look for her.. " Chris explains, putting the mobile in his pocket and then he stares at his friends very questionably.

After all, he has some points.

Matt is standing up, with his guitar lifted up, as if he was ready to smash it on someone's head. Instead, Dominic looks scared as he is hiding behind the drums, with the mobile in his hands, as if he was about to call 911!

Anyway, once he realizes it's just Chris, he immediately forgets his plan of warning the Police about an attempt of kidnapping, just as Matthew places his guitar on the floor and immediately forgets his plan of attack anti-sabotage, coming back to the piano.

"What's wrong with you? Did someone give you illicit drugs as I was outside and now you suffer from hallucinations ?" the bassist wonders, confused.

"Look, Dom, it's Chris!" Matt exclaims as if nothing happened.

"Yes, alright, it's our dear Chris. And now he's going to play with us until we're done!" Dominic exults.

"And he's going to stay in our same room, with us!" the other goes on.

"And he'll never leave us alone again, from now until the show tonight!" the drummer adds with a grin.

"Ok, I'm still thinking that not only someone gave you illicit drugs, but you even stuffed yourselves with them!" the bassist comments, more and more disquieted.

"No, buddy, no illicit drugs, it's just that we are happy to see you!" Matt shrugs.

"Well, it's not that I've been away for months!" the other strikes back.

"Believe me, for us it is as if you were!" Dom comments.

"I still don't understand you. Anyway, let 's go back to work, it's better. Now we should play 'New Born ' right?" Chris wonders, wearing the strap of his bass.

"Yes, yes, whatever you please.. " Dom answers.

"As long as we play!" Matt adds, stretching his hands a little bit before beginning.

As the front man play the intro perfectly, the bassist is free to get lost in his conjectures.

- Those two are up to something and they can't trick me. Why are they acting so nice with me? It's not my birthday, it' s not my saint's day, it's not even the anniversary of the very first time we played together! So.. why are they so.. I got it! They are going to replace me! It's so clear, it's enough to collect all the previous facts: Matt was holding up his guitar, so he wanted to attack me from behind, but he failed. About Dom.. probably he was trying to contact the bassist who is gonna replace me. That's why he was hiding from me! Plus, when we were at Matt's, he said that I'm easily replaceable. Ok, he was just kidding.. but now I'm not so sure anymore.. I must keep my eyes open!- he decides, as the other two wonder why he's staring at them with such diffidence.

And the boy keeps being that diffident all the afternoon long, until they're done with the sound-check, but also as they are on their way to Nassau Coliseum where they must perform.

Everyone goes to his dressing room to get ready to the show properly.

When Matt leaves his, he finds Dom outside, as he's busy staring at his reflection in the mirror.

And even Matt can't help keeping his eyes off him.

"So, you are really wearing them!" he exclaims, pointing at the acid green jeans Dom wears, matched with a black T-shirt with white pictures and a written that worship Rave Parties.

"I told you I wasn't kidding!" the other states.

"You are amazing.. " the brunette confesses. "I mean.. those jeans are amazing. I mean, you look good. Period." he corrects himself, immediately after, as he starts getting agitated.

"Well, it's only thanks to you, since you chose so damn well.. " the other replies, trying to ignore his friend's words.

"Yeah. But I repent for not choosing a pair for me, too. You will have to lend them to me.. " Matthew states.

"What? Excuse me, what kind of gift is it if I have to lend it?" the blond protests.

"It's the kind of gift that is cooler to share!" the other smirks.

"Well, if it' so.. I want your hat!" Dominic suggests.

"No way! That's the kind of gift that must remain just and only mine!" the other strikes back resolutely.

"Ok. Let me sing a song during this tour, then!" the blond suggests.

"Never! Plus.. just here? C'mon, Dom, try to understand. If I let you sing.. the States would take it as a personal affront and you would end up being the inevitable cause of the World War III!" Matt makes fun of him.

"Phew, you always exaggerate! It was enough a simple ' No, Dom, thanks, I appreciate your goodwill, but it's better if it doesn't happen' " the other grumbles, insulted, crossing his arms at his chest and turning his back to him.

But Matt doesn't get worried, because he already knows what button to push.

"Let's do things this way. If you lend me your jeans.. I'll let you use my trolley for at least five journeys!"

Dom turns abruptly.

"Really?" he wonders, with the same expression of a five years old kid who is trapped inside a toy store.

"I give you my word!" Matt promises, before the other jumps on him, wrapping his arms around his neck and holding him tight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're such a friend!" the blond exults, but then he makes the mistake of raising his gaze and meeting Matt's one.

And they both know that it's far away from the look that usually two friends exchange.

Plus, the silence that suddenly falls between them doesn't improve things at all.

"No! Remember? No more too close contact." Matt reacts, parting from him, although he does in the kindest way ever.

"Yes, you're right. Damn me!" Dominic apologizes. "About my jeans, I really hope you won't wear them tonight.. " he changes subject, staring at the white trousers Matt wears with white braces and a red shirt.

"Also because, you just miss a pair of yellow braces and you would really look like a traffic light!" Dom makes fun of him, making him laugh.

"No, don't worry. Plus, it would be fair. Tonight it's you who must wear them and get all the attentions!" the other replies.

"Well, not so many attentions.. I always stay on the back, it's you in the middle of the stage, in front of the crowd!" Dominic grumbles.

"Hey, I didn't decide the positions on stage!" Matthew justifies.

"Yeah, but you also did nothing to change them, Mr I-Am-And-Always-Must-Be-The-Main-Protagonist!" Dom strikes back, kinda disappointed.

"Hey!" Matt acts insulted.

"At least.. Chris is free to walk here and there, so sometimes he also stays in the middle, but what am I supposed to do?" the other pouts.

And against that adorable pout Matt is defenceless.

"I have the solution. I'll spend at least half of the time near your drums. So, if it's true that the cameras follow mostly me , you'll have all the attentions, too. Plus, those wonderful jeans can't be ignored!" Matt smiles.

Dom begins another rumble of 'thank you ' and he's about to hug him again.

"No, it's better if it doesn't happen!" he thinks out loud, stopping himself and backing off.

"Yeah. Also because.. I'm afraid that I wouldn't manage to part from you for the second time. " the brunette murmurs.

But this time Dom doesn't let the silence fall between them.

"You know what? All this thankfulness is getting dangerous. Let's go to Chris!" the blond decides and Matt nods, following him.

Once they reached their friend, they all stand behind the curtains of the stage, staring at the technicians who are arranging their instruments.

Matt analyzes very carefully every single move of the guy who is fixing his guitar.

"He must pinch the chords more gently. No, he shouldn't turn the key so harshly! Oh my, that damn guy will end up breaking my guitar!" he gets alarmed.

"Trust him, he knows what he's doing. Anyway, to be honest, that guitar risks more when she is in your hands!" Chris chuckles.

"I don't care. The sooner he gives me my guitar back , the better is. I don't understand why technicians must always insist so bad, I could perfectly fix her on my own!" Matt grumbles.

"Surrender, Bells. Look how good Dom is, there's a technician who has been arranging his drums for more than a quarter an hour and he patiently waits, saying nothing. It's because he trusts him!" Chris makes him notice.

"No. It's because I followed him outside before, so I found out which his car is. So, if he makes some mistakes.. I know how to get my revenge!" the blond sneers evilly, drawing out one of his key, no matter which one, as long as it scratches good and proper.

"Never mind!" Chris rolls his eyes.

"Hey, you should just shut up, since that technician told me that when his colleague tried to fix your bass, you scared the hell out of him, shouting imprecations and threatening him and his next generations! And after that he ran away for his life!" Dominic makes him notice.

"That's why no one is touching your bass! I thought it was because it was already fixed. Well, well, you're such a role model to us, Mr. You-Must-Have-Total-Trust-In-Technicians!" Matt scolds him.

"Okay, you won. What can I say? I just want our trustful ones, I don't let my bass fall in foreign hands!" Chris strikes back.

Curios, Matt pulls one of the curtain a little bit, to have a glimpse on the crowd, but those people are too busy suffering in the throng, trying to stand up and, of course, breath. That's why no one notices him.

"Hey, there's a lot of people!" he exclaims, turning to his friends, but then he narrows his eyes.

"Wait a minute. Is there something wrong in my calendar.. or in theirs? Because today it's 12th January, isn't it?" he looks for confirmations.

"Yes. So what?" Chris narrows his eyes the same way.

"I mean.. Halloween is already over since months! And yet this place seems to be the Night of the Living Dead People!" the other comments.

"That's more than normal. They imitate the headliner and the My Chemical Romance are pretty dark. Just wait to see how they will be dressed!" Dominic informs him.

"I couldn't care less. I'd rather leave as soon as we're done!" Matt grumbles.

"Instead, we're gonna stay, whatever you like it or not. We'll have to face a whole tour with them, so the best thing we can do is try to get along with those guys, at least a little bit!" Chris explains, as Matt desires to smash guitar on heads once again. Those guys' heads, of course.

It's time for Muse to go on stage, and with their big surprise the crowd welcome them pretty warmly.

Not that a colder welcome would prevent them from doing their best, as always.

Remembering his promise, Matt keeps staying close to Dom, even riding his drums, once or twice.

Dom is double pleased, both for having him there and for seeing himself on the huge screen so many times.

Although the three musicians are very concentrated, they all manage anyway to get lost in their thoughts.

- Wow, he's playing with such a vigour , he's so full of energy!- Matt observes, staring at Dom during a very fast moment of 'Knights of Cydonia ' , the last song in their playing list.

- I wonder if usually he's so full of energy also for another kind of activity.. No, Matt, what the hell are you thinking? Stop it, bloody stop it now!- he scolds himself, concentrating more on the guitar and laying on the floor to play the final part, in order to be more spectacular.

This time it's Dom staring at him.

- Oh my God, I'd like to be that floor! No, it's better if it doesn't happen. I'd like.. Uhmm.. yes. I'd like to be me. But I'm already me, so I shouldn't desire anything else!- the blond summons himself, as he keeps playing until the end of the song.

- Uhmm.. let's see.. there weren't any attack, any blow on my head or stuff like that. I guess that tonight has been ok, although they got kinda intimate so many times .. I almost had the feeling of.. disturbing them! So, it's true, they really want me out of the picture! But if they think that it's enough a night that's ok to catch me off guard next time, they are so bloody wrong. It's just what they want from me, instead, no, I'll keep my eyes wide open. My dear shrewd guys.. you'll never fool me!- Chris meditates, as he keeps glaring at both of them.

Maybe, judging how paranoid he became, it's almost more probable that it's Chris who took illicit drugs!

TBC

Well, 'this ' Chris is right about one point: someone spread illicit drugs, yeah, but on my train, on morning. That's the only way to explain how I managed to write such a hallucinating chapter!

Plus, this was supposed to be just * a few lines * to introduce what I actually meant to write.. so it will become next chapter, eh, eh!

I hope you won't mind if I dressed Matt and Dom, sorry but it's too fun doing that, and I'll go on even in next chapters.. whenever I have the chance. Just blame some of their pictures for that, lol!

Another thing.. about the MCR, I have nothing against this band, quite the contrary, I actually like them a lot. It's 'this ' Matt who can't stand them!

Before you ask, no, I'm not gonna write a crossover between the two bands, so the MCR will never appear in this story.

After all, I like make * another band * interact with Muse.. in another story eh, eh ;)

Hope you'll like it so far, hope this story won't tire you , but feel free to tell me anything!

p.s. MERRY CHIRSTMAS to everyone! ^^


	7. VII: It's not helping at all

Hello.

Thank you soooooooo much to whoever put this story in the 'Favorite ' , it means sooooo much to me.

Sure, I'd prefer you to say something about it, even a word, c'mon, pretty pleaseee .. it would make my day.

About the previous 4-5 chapters, if you want to see the corrected version (with the thoughts of the characters ) , just ask me and I'll replace them with the edited version.

Chapter VII: It's Not Helping At All

Once their show is done, as they head towards the backstage , Muse comment the crowd's reaction, and they seem pretty satisfied.

"I was sure there would be a cold silent, broken just by some murmurs, such as 'who the fuck are these people?'. Instead, they smiled, clapped their hands.. and * sang *!" Matthew revels.

"Yeah, and not only the chorus of the most famous hits. Someone knew even 'Take a Bow ' or 'City of Delusion'!" Chris exults.

"Plus, I don't think it was just my imagination, but I heard some of them three or four times calling us by name. not simply the band name, I mean our personal ones!" Dominic rejoices.

"I guess it's one more step towards our conquer of the States!" Matthew states, enthused.

"Well, don't rush things, it's just a small part of New York, it's too soon to jump to conclusion." Dom makes him notice.

"Yes, but it was a positive start, we shouldn't underestimate that." Matt comments.

"What do you think, Chris?" Dominic calls him, but he gets no answers.

"Chris?" Matt calls him, with the same result.

They look behind their back, turn again and take a look all around the room, realizing that their friend is nowhere to be found.

"Oh my, someone kidnapped him!" Dom gets alarmed.

"How the hell can you think that?" Matt wonders.

"I don't know why ... but I've been thinking about kidnapping all day long." the other justifies.

"So, tell me, how could that happen? First, we're not alone. " Matt makes him notice, pointing at two technicians who are bringing there their instruments, after taking them from the stage.

"Who assures you that it's not them the kidnappers and theirs is just a cover?" Dominic observes.

"Ok, let's say it's true, my dear Sherlock Holmes wannabe, can you explain why the hell did we notice nothing. Since we were here with him?" Matthew puts him in trouble.

Dom meditates for a while and then he seems to be enlightened.

"The technicians kidnapped him, we tried to stop them, but we failed. Then, after taking him away, they brought time back with the machine that I was supposed to invent .. that's why we remember nothing about that!" the blond explains, but the most worrying thing is that he seems very convinced of what he's saying.

Matthew looks at him in a mix of confusion, concern, sympathy and.. fear.

"Maybe Chris had some point with that comment about illicit drugs. And the worst thing is that you didn't even offer, you, egoist!" the brunette pretends to scold him.

"First, I didn't take any bloody thing. And second, you're already illicit on your own!" the other strikes back promptly, and then he notices that his interlocutor is absorbed in his thoughts, as if another hypothesis is about to pop in his mind.

And that's what happens for real.

"You know.. the kidnapping thing isn't so absurd after all. But it's not due to a blackmail, it's due to a sabotage. I bet the five dark whelps did it, because, after seeing our brilliant performance , they are rightly afraid of going on the stage and looking like the newbie they actually are. So, they took our bassist away to prevent us from performing in the other gigs!" Matt deducts, and he also looks worryingly convinced of what he states.

"Damn you, Bells, why the hell do you see conspiracies everywhere?" Dom rolls his eyes.

"Because conspiracies *are * everywhere!" the other simply strikes back.

"And how do you explain the fact that we didn't noticed that at all?" the blond interrogates him.

"Maybe that odd machine you keep blathering about exists for real." the other supposes and they both look kind of anguished.

One of the technician approaches to them.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help haring you." he exclaims.

Dominic stresses at him, doubtful and disbelieving, ready to call the police if there's the need. Also Matthew stares at him, trying to figure out if the technician is one of the My Chemical Romance, disguised because of what he thinks is a mission of sabotage.

The technician is a little scared by their inquisitive looks, but he goes on anyway.

"I was saying.. don't take that as an offence, but.. are you aware of the craps you say? Maybe you didn't notice, but truth is that your friend just happened to go out to have a walk." he explains to them and they both seem to be relieved.

"After all, that was the most obvious explanation, how can it be that you didn't even consider that ?" he adds, looking at them as if they escaped from a mad house.

"The most obvious explanation are so boring.. it's not fun to consider them!" Matthew shrugs.

"Well, that's not a good reason for even thinking of taking into consideration what looks like a kind of sci-fi romance.. of a bad quality!, for the record" the man strikes back.

"Hey, no one asked for your opinion, why don't you come back doing your job? I already know which car your colleague has got, it wouldn't take me so long to find even yours!" Dominic warns him, waving the precedent key as if it was the most terrifying weapon of the world.

"Yeah. And I could smash a guitar on that!" Matt adds.

Scared not by their threats, but mostly by their mental sanity that seems not to be so stable, the technician prudently leaves, coming back to his colleague.

"So, Chris just took a walk." Dom comments.

"Yes, but it's so unexpected and out of the blue." the other observes.

"And without even warning us. Almost as if he was.. bothered." the blond adds.

"Oh my god, no! Maybe he's sick of us and wants to leave the band!" Matthew gets alarmed.

"I guess you're right. And maybe the phone call with Kelly, this afternoon.. was just a cover. Maybe he's already trying to contact another band!" Dominic gets alarmed.

And as they both concentrate in order to find a solution to what they already consider a colossal drama, taking a look around they realize that they have another reason why they can get alarmed, seriously.

The technicians finished setting their instruments and left in order to set the ones of the main band and that will take them a lot of time.

So now Dominic and Matthew are all alone in a big room.

"Oh, no! We're alone… again!" Matt observes.

"Yes, but you know it doesn't have to be a dangerous thing every time. " Dom comments.

"Yeah. Just because we happened to get way too close to each other twice, three times or four ones.. Gee, how many times did it happen?"

"Don't ask me that. I lost the count." the other rolls his eyes. "But this time it won't happen!" he states resolutely, immediately after.

"Damn right. We can be left alone.. without any worrying consequences." the other nods.

They can lie to each other with their words as much as they please. Too bad that they can't do that with their eyes, and it's enough just one look for both of them to realize that.

Dom glances at his drums and gets closer to it.

"This atmosphere is getting too tense. And do you know which is the best way to give vent to the tension? To play a little." the blond declares, drawing out the drumsticks from the rear pocket of his jeans and starting to hit the several parts of the instrument.

Matt approaches to him, staring at him without saying anything, but the other notices that and stops.

"What?" he wonders, kinda disturbed.

"Nothing. It's just that you're so cute when you're all engrossed into playing. " Matt admits.

"This is not helping." Dominic warns him, blushing against his will.

"But it's the truth." the other insists, approaching to his guitar. "Anyway, you're right, we must do something to release the tension." he goes on, wearing the strip of his guitar.

"Are you going to play a little bit, too?" the other asks him, naively.

"Not exactly." Matt smirks.

"Well, I'm going to quit, too, then." the blond announces, ready to get up.

"No, way, sit down again!" the brunette summons him.

"But.. if you don't want to play.. then I don't understand why you want me to.. " Dom protest but then realization hits him. "Aren't you going to… " he figures out, without even finishing the sentence.

"Hell yeah I am!" the other announces, backing off as much as he needs to take one run-up.

"Am I wrong or aren't you the person who got very concerned for his guitar? You'll end up scratching it or leave a dent on it." Dom makes him notice.

"That's not the point. The other people must treat my guitars carefully, I can do whatever I please with them!" he points out. "Plus, it won't be anything that our dear Manson guy can't repair!" he shrugs.

"I don't think it's a good idea." the blond tries to make him reason.

"But I do. C'mon, it will distract us. It will be fun. Besides, we haven't done that for ages!" the brunette insists.

"Yeah, but we're not on stage.. and there's not even any crowd!" the drummer makes him notice.

"Who ever told you that I did that for the crowd?" the front-man raises one eyebrow.

"Matt, I've already told you not to.."

"Too late, I'm already doing that!" he cuts him off, making a noteworthy jump and then he smashes against the drums, crashing the several parts on the floor and involving even its owner in the fall.

Despite some bruises, the two guys find the situation kind of exhilarating and burst out laughing. Matt tries to get up, but Dominic has a better idea.

"You, stubborn, mad guy, you'll pay for what you did to my poor drums!" he hurls towards his friend, keeping his arms behind his head and pinning him on the floor.

"After all, it's just a bunch of scrap iron and there's no so much difference between the noise it made now and the one it makes whenever you play it!" Matt teases him on purpose, managing not only to get free but also to switch the roles.

"Hey, that's unfair!" Dom protests as he's pinned by Matt much more than Dom was by Matt.

"What? The things I did or the things I've said?" the other sneers.

"Both of them.. " Dom admits, until they both realize something unexpected... something that wasn't supposed to happen.

If they found the situation exhilarating before, now it seems that they find it also very, very,

*very * pleasant.

And it's enough just a mutual and sudden bulge under the belt of their jeans for them to get the feared confirmation.

"

"Shit!" Matthew exclaims.

"Shit!" Dominic echoes him.

"What the hell is going on?" the first wonders.

"Whatever it is, it's not helping at all!" the blond states.

They both keep silent, staring at each other for a bunch of seconds, without any attempt to move.

"We should better get up.. " the blond suggests.

"Yes, we should. But I don't want to do that.. " Matt admits.

"And I don't want you to do that.. " the other admits, as they exchange the umpteenth dangerous look.

"Do you realize that it's something damn insane and blameworthy ?" the brunette murmurs, and the only fact that he's murmuring it shows how much he is not finding it negative at all.

"Do you realize that I couldn't care less?" Dom murmurs, taking advantage of his interlocutor's temporary distraction enough to set his arms free and wrap them around his neck.

"Neither could I.. " the other confesses, feeling the sudden urge to establish a contact with those soft lips once again.

He bents over him, in order to make their mouths skimmer , but a noise at the door make them startle and quit that romantic purpose.

"Guys, you must get out with me, because I've found.." Chris exclaims, getting in all cheerful, but he stops abruptly when he sees Matt and Dom laying on the floor, one upon the other , in the middle of what remains of the drums and a dented guitar with the 'e' chord broken.

"I can't believe it. Did you play the fight... again?" he comments, shaking his head.

"Uh, yeah... the fight... right." Matt blathers, getting up, wishing that that 'collateral effect ' of that contact could fade out before Chris notices that.

"You know.. it was just a way to will the time away." Dom adds, mirroring both of Matt's actions and hopes.

"What were you talking about?" Matt asks him with nonchalance.

"I found outside, at the barriers, a group of fans that came here just for us!" a grinning Chris explains, and since he's so excited it's practically impossible that he could notice anything  
else.

"Really?" Matt looks for confirmations.

"It's the truth. And the fact that I found them already outside proves that they couldn't care less about the headliners! And the coolest thing is that they're not fans who followed us  
from London. No way, they're just Americans!" the other informs them, more and more excited.

"Alright! One score for us, in spite of the Living Dead!" Matt exults.

"It's fantastic! Well, the least we can do is to go outside and say thanks to them properly.. " Dom suggests.

"That's why I called you. C'mon, hurry up and reach me at the gates with the fans, they deserve it!" Chris smiles, ready to go, but he turns one last time. "Hey, guess what they said? They said that they like * all of us * , * without any exceptions* , it would be enough just * one member missing * and it wouldn't be the same anymore, the * band * wouldn't work anymore. It works only if * we all stay together *!" he keeps underlining the concept, before leaving.

"So, I guess we were wrong. Chris is not going to leave the band!" Dom comments, very relieved, as both he and Matt clean out that mess.

"You're kidding, aren't you? Chris gave us the worst answer ever!" Matt protests, very alarmed.

"But.. he said that we must remain together.. all of us!" Dom makes him notice, kind of puzzled.

"Exactly!" the other underlines the fact.

"Damn you, Bells, is there any absurd, recondite and odd reason why what you're saying has at least a semblance of logical sense?" Dom stares at him, more and more confused, as he massages his temples, afraid that he's about to have a terrible headache.

"Yep, there is, but now there's no time for explanations. We'll talk as soon as we have the chance. Now we must go." the other comments, walking towards the door.

Dominic follows him, but then he stops.

"What?" Matthew asks him, turning to him.

"When will we ever talk about what's going on between you and me?" the blond wonders, a little bit insecure.

Matt gets closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll find time even for us." he whispers, with a sweet smile and a look plenty of promises.

They walk though the corridors, reaching the gates, as that 'us' echoes in Dom's mind as the warmest word he has ever heard.

TBC

The fight is something they really did. Here's the proves, but bet you already know that:

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Hope you'll like it so far, hope this story won't tire you , but feel free to tell me anything!

p.s. HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! ^^

p.p..s. I'm gonna update 'Make me dream your dreams ' , too! ^^


	8. VIII: A matter of reverse psychology

Sorry for late!

Chapter VIII : A Matter of Reverse Psychology

The morning after Chris doesn't exactly seem to be Mr Good Mood.  
It's not due to the fact that they had to get up tremendously early, in order to catch the flight to Cleveland.  
He is not bothered by getting up early, besides he's happy to have the chance to go sightseeing in the town, as much as it is possible to have a good sightseeing in just a couple of days.

He is not bothered by taking the umpteenth plane; he's more than accustomed to that.  
Just like Matt, Dom and even Tom when he's with them, Chris isn't scared by flying at all.  
Quite the contrary, with time he learned how to turn the plane in a kind of further bed and that solves the problem of getting up too early.

He even totally agrees with the changes of their playlist, since he's the one who suggested most of those changes.  
He's not even melancholic or sad due to the fact that he's far away from home, because he finds helpful the very long phone calls between him and his wife and sometimes, with his kids too, at least the kids old enough to speak.  
He knows that it's nothing like being with them physically, but at least it's a contact. Besides, he has set up things very wisely, not to lose any of the important events in his family, such as birthdays, anniversaries and stuff like that.

What is really pissing him off is to walk through the airport with his two friends, who are arranged in such an absurd way that he's ashamed to be seen with them and he's even more ashamed to declare that they are his best friends. Not in that moment, at least.

Dom decided to wear his very showy bright, pink jeans, matched to a bright pink T-shirt as well, which can be seen from his half open black coat.  
After all, his outfit has a very specific goal: to match the famous trolley that Matt allowed him to borrow, honouring his given word.

Well, Dominic really seems some kind of living pink, sugared almond, that's why Matthew is devouring him... with his eyes.

But Chris doesn't even seem to notice that, since he's to busy wondering how the hell the blond manages to be so full of energy even at such a cruel time of the morning… if it already can be call morning, that's it.

As a matter of fact, Dom keeps running from one side to the other of the airport, stopping just to stare at a mirror, a shop-window or any kind of surface that manages to even barely reflect him, with a huge grin plastered on his face, as excited as a kid that after much insistence gets the toy he has dreamed about and he does nothing but playing with it.

Indeed, if on one hand he's busy admiring him, on the other hand our poor Matthew is very anxious about his 'toy', especially every time that the blond tosses it around with total carelessness.

- Oh no, if he carries my trolley on this way, he will end up losing a wheel! And should I be supposed to spend the next four journeys in such an apprehensive state? No way! - Matt ponders, but just like Chris, right now he doesn't have enough strength to react or warn him about being more careful.

Matt's outfit is quite acceptable; although he managed to discover God only knows where a T-shirt that gathers all together at least five different layouts and something like one thousand and two hundred forty-five colours.  
And he also displays it with pride and fierceness through his half open coat. Besides, if his very normal blue-jeans miss the goal miserably, it's the famous golden hat he's wearing that makes him scarily eccentric.

"Oh my god, Dom! So you weren't kidding at all when you told me you had found the clone of that horrible thing!" Chris exclaims, looking at the blond in a blaming way, taking advantage of the fact that he has finally stopped.

"Yes, it's great! Now that I've got it again nothing and nobody will ever take this marvellous hat away from me!" Matt perjures, as he arranges it better on his head.

- Don't be so sure about that. I've already managed once to get rid of that silly thing and make you believe that you had simply lost it, so I can do that twice! - Chris evilly plots in his head and then he turns to him again.

"I understand that it's still quite dark, but the airport has a lot of sidelights, landing lights, hazard lights and stuff like that, so there was no need to put that street lamp on your head!" he makes fun of him.

"Ah-ah, witty boy. Truth is that you're just envious..." the fierce owner of that absurd thing strikes back.

"Envious of what? Haven't you realized yet that you look like a rabbi in a damn glamour version? It's not remotely chic, it's not trendy, it's not a vintage accessory. It's totally trash, thumbs-down!" Chris makes him notice.

"What the hell are you talking about? Confess, you stole Kelly's fashion magazines again, don't you dare deny it!" Dom makes fun of him, but the fact that Chris has a guilty look makes the others understand that the blond is right.  
And the most worrying thing is that he doesn't do that to look at the pin-ups, no. He really cares about the magazine articles!

"Anyway, my dear manqué stylist, I couldn't care less of what you think about my outfit. I don't follow fashion, I'm a trendsetter!" Matt declares proudly.

"Lucky for us, no one follows your fashion!" Chris strikes back pungently.

"Words from Mr. Grey! You seem almost allergic to colour!" Matt strikes back as sharp as well.

"He's right, buddy. You used to be more colourful before, but now... you are way too serious!" Dom adds.

"I'm just perfect the way I am. Anyway, I can't take style advices from a rabbi and a sugared almond!" Chris grumbles and the others pretend to be insulted.

"Hey, how can it be that now Dominic has got that ridiculous thing?" the bassist wonders, pointing at the pink trolley.

"First, my trolley is anything but ridiculous; he's the perfect marriage between aesthetics and practicality!" the frontman points out, scowling at him.

"They better divorce as soon as possible, then!" Chris mutters.

"Hey, I heard you!" Matt snaps, scowling at him even deeper.

"Actually, I wanted you to hear me!" the other strikes back as Dominic listens to them silently, moving his head from one friend to the other, like he was watching a tennis match.

"Second, if he carries him this way, I don't think that Dom will keep him for long ..." the singer goes on, scowling at the drummer who backs off frightened.

"Third… Uhmm... let's say that Dom and I made a deal …" he explains as the blond confines himself just to nod.

- That's it, I knew that! They keep doing things without me. Today is a deal, tomorrow it could be a whole concert; it's only a step forward. And maybe with a bassist who has their same too coloured style or even worse! Chris, boy, you gotta keep your eyes wide open if you don't want them to make a fool of you! - the more and more paranoid Chris figures out as they go to the check in.

-

No matter how Chris has summoned himself to keep his eyes open, after half an hour since the plane took off, he already keeps them very closed, deeply asleep after he found the most comfortable position in his seat.

When he's in that state nothing can wake him up. Matthew and Dominic know that very well.

"What do you say, is he already in his irrecoverable phase?" Dom whispers to Matt.

"Let's check it out" the other answers in the same way, and then he starts talking louder, with a clear pronounce.

"The bass is the most senseless instrument ever and whoever plays it is even more senseless!" he states, as they both turn to their friend who hasn't showed any slightest reaction and keeps sleeping soundly.

"Yes, he is in the irrecoverable phase!" the frontman declares, satisfied.

That confirmation is enough for Dom to get up and reach the seat next to Matt.  
After all the plane is flying peacefully, there are no disturbances.

Chris is in the middle but it doesn't seem to be an insurmountable obstacle to Dom. Basically, Chris doesn't seem to be insurmountable to him, since he bypasses him without scruples, not even when he accidentally kicks his knee.  
After all, he's pretty sure that his friend wouldn't wake up even if he walked on him!

"Here we go!" he exclaims with a grin when he gets close to Matt. "And now tell me what you meant last night!" he exhorts him, sitting down.

"Ok, let's resume: we think that Chris wants to leave the band, don't we?" the brunette asserts.

"Correction: I quit thinking that. It's you who insist." the blond clarifies.

"I have got my reasons to insist. He says that we all must be united, always, because this is the only way to make our band work, otherwise it would be the end." Matthew reminds to him.

"And this is the exact moment that I gave up understanding you!" Dom rolls his eyes.

"Give me a minute and I'm sure you'll resume understanding me. I was saying… considering that it seems that there are no problems at all and we've just imagined the whole thing…"

"But? Because I'm sure there's a 'but'..." the blond interrupts him.

"But…" Matt goes on and Dom smiles victoriously, happy for guessing right. "... Psychology teaches us that it's not so easy!" he states.

"What's the matter with psychology now?" Dom frowns.

"It's a matter of reverse psychology. That's how it works: you say something in order to get the contrary effect from your interlocutors. It's used mostly with children, but it doesn't mean that it can't be very effective even with adults…" the brunette explains.

"Oh, boy! I'd never thought of that!" the other admits, stunned.

"You know, after something like six years with a psychology expert like Gaia, I've also learnt something about it. You have no idea of how many times she used that on me, but now she can't trick me anymore!" Matt admits.

"I guess so. Well, if what you say it's true, then... oh my god, Chris wants to leave us for real!" the blond gets alarmed.

"Yeah, but we won't allow him to do that." the other declares firmly.

"How?" the blond frowns again.

"It's simple. The only way to fight reverse psychology is to use reverse psychology as well! Does Chris want to leave us? Fine, we'll make him believe that we don't care, because he's not that indispensable for us" Matt explains with a smirk.

"Bells, you're a genius!" the blond praises him.

"Yes, I know that. Sometimes I think I was born with way too many talents!" the brunettes pretends to brag. Or maybe he doesn't pretend at all.

"I need to train a little bit to get accustomed to this reverse psychology thing. Let's see if I understand…" Dom thinks out loud, skimming Matt's left arm with his fingers and staring deep into his eyes. "Now you must not jump on me, you must not hold me into your arms and mostly you must not kiss me as if it was the last day of our lives!" he imposes to him, resolute.

Matthew has to muster all his self-control up not to obey to that subliminal command.

"Please, Dom, don't tempt me…" he murmurs. "Anyway, yes, I see you've already learnt very well how to use reverse psychology!" he adds, moving prudently away from him.

"Speaking of 'last day of our lives', well, this will really be the last day of your life if you don't treat my trolley better next time!" he warns him immediately after.

"After all, I can't figure out why I've already lent my trolley to you when I haven't borrowed your pants yet!" he adds, bothered.

"Just because, my dear, if you want to take off my pants, you must follow my rules!" Dom explains, but when he sees the dumbstruck look in Matthew's eyes he realizes what he has said and its possible double entendre.

"Uh! Wait, no! I meant just my green pants! And I meant 'take off ' just as 'to borrow'!" he hurries to clarify.

Too bad that a question is already about to pop in his interlocutor's mind.

"So, do you mean that to take off all your pants there aren't any rules to follow?" Matthew winks at him, scratching lightly the rubberized baby blue drawing on Dom's pink t-shirt.

"Just one rule: follow your instinct!" Dom provokes him, arranging better his golden hat with both of his hands.

"Damn! We are doing it again!" the blond figures out.

"Doing what? Oh, shit, yeah, we're doing it again. I suggest to quit!" the brunette reacts and, even if not so willingly, they manage to take their hands off each-other.

"Instead, I suggest to talk about it, once for al!" the blond strikes back.

"This is not the proper time…"

"What? We are on a private flight, where the only witness is almost in a coma. There couldn't be a more proper moment!" Dom makes him notice.

"The place is proper, ok, but not the time!" Matthew answers, unable to restrain a long yawn.

"C'mon, Dom, it's 7:15 am. I guess I've already faced enough important topics for now. So, I'd like to follow Chris' example" the brunette admits, stretching out.

"Do you mean that we are not an important topic?" his interlocutor pouts.

"Quite the contrary, we are the most important one. That's why now I can't face it in the proper way. We'll talk about that in hotel, I give you my word!" he guarantees.

Dominic smiles, but then he pouts again, just like a spoiled kid and what he says confirms this comparison.

"But I'm getting bored! What can I do in the meantime?" he complains.

"I don't know. Maybe it could be the proper time for you to plot that famous time machine you are obsessed with!" Matt jokingly advices him.

"Yeah, it could be a good idea…" Dom ponders, but then he stares intently at him. "Anyways, tell me, if I really managed to plot a time machine, would you like to erase all what happened since that fateful day at your house?" he asks him seriously.

"Never." Matt answers seriously as well, although he's already half asleep. "But now what I'd really like to do is sleep…" he adds, getting more comfortable on his seat.

"Wait, I got it! You don't wanna sleep at all; it's a matter of reverse psychology once again!" Dom exclaims, enlightened.

"No, no bloody psychology, it's the truth. Now, please, be a good boy …" the other slurs, with closed eyes.

Dom gets up and reaches his seat again, a little bothered. At least this time he doesn't kick the poor Chris.

- Note to myself: I must take a decision for the next flight: to take some tranquillizers, so I can follow their example or... to make them take some pep pills, so they can keep me company! -

TBC

Hope you'll still like it, just let me know, if you can, pretty please, even a word would make my day!


	9. IX: Just like Romeo and Juliet

Sorry for late!

Chapter IX : Just Like Romeo and Juliet

Laying on the bed of his new hotel room, Matt decides he rested enough.

There's more than one hour before the sound-check, so he's watching TV just to will the time away, but after the fifth fast zapping through all the channels, judging that there's nothing worthy to be seen, not even an episode from the first season of 'Lost ' that he has already utterly memorized, the guy turns the TV off, a little bit bored.

He has already set his things in the closets and the drawers of the room, but he kept most of them inside his suitcase, no, well, not his suitcase, it's Dom's one, which the brunet switched with his beloved trolley.. and there's no comparison, of course!

He has already chosen the outfit for the gig, nothing too striking, anyway.

And he's already called Gaia, too, even if those ten minutes seemed to last for ten hours to him.

And he can easily figure out that this is not a good sign at all.

Now there's only one thing left to do, something he promised to Dominic.

Let's make it clear: he's not playing for time because he doesn't' feel like doing that.

Quite the contrary, he just can't wait to run to him and face that pretty delicate topic.

The problem is that he knows that he has totally lost control on his actions and maybe, after many other occasions, this time he won't help being tempted to kiss Dominic.

After a very deep analysis of all the pros and cons, proclaiming the crushing victory of the pros, he walks towards his door.

As soon as he opens it, a certain someone knocks three times on his forehead, kind of energetically, too.

"Oh, my, I'm so sorry! I was sure it was closed!" Dominic immediately apologizes, concerned.

"Damn you, Dom! You shouldn't have quit your indecision-dance just when there was no closed doors anymore!" the other complains, massaging his forehead.

"Gee, again with this story! Do you plan to remind that to me for long?" the blond rolls his eyes.

"Every single time I please. And I'm still cursing myself for not shooting that on my portable camera , if I think of.. "

"If you're about to remind me of the fake attempt of suicide, well.. be sure it will turn into a real one of homicide .. and maybe not just an attempt, because even if now we are on fifth floor, trust me, it's enough to make the harsh impact with the ground very unpleasant!" Dom cuts him off, warning him.

But Matthew is anything but scared.

"You look so bloody good when you're menacing!" he smiles to him.

"I always look bloody good!" the other declares proudly and, since he can't find in the corridor anything that can reflect him, he's content to be mirrored in Matthew's blue eyes.

"You know, Dom, the thing I mostly love in you is your astonishing modesty!" Matt makes fun of him, rolling his eyes, amused.

"Let me guess, were you about to walk to my room?" the blond changes subject, deciding he has mirrored himself enough.

"That's right. But you anticipated me. Well, it seems we had the same idea. " Matt smiles.

"Uhmm.. I'm not so sure it's really the same idea.. " Dom comments, letting in the room with Matt and closing the door behind their backs.

"Why?" the brunet wonders, a little bit frightened by his words, his behaviour and mostly his look.

"Because, actually.. " the other answers, getting closer to him. ".. my idea involves this!"

And saying that, he kisses Matt, before he can realize that, making him back off until he hits the bed, falling on the mattress with him.

After all, it seems that Matt has nothing to object, as he wraps his arms around the blond's neck, pulling him closer, and that long kiss increases its intensity.

Without daring to interrupt their kiss, Dominic can't help letting a hand flow through the hair he almost seems to worship.

Neither of them can establish exactly who is the first who broke the kiss, but they part from each other, pretty satisfied.

"I really, really like your ideas!" Matt winks at him, as Dom lays on one side of the bed, resting one elbow on the mattress and the hand on his temple to give him his total attention.

"Yeah, but it's just like I thought: nothing. " the blond states.

"Do you mean that you felt nothing? Nothing at all? That you didn't like it at all? Really?" Matt asks him, very upset.

"You, silly! How can you think such a thing? I mean that there's nothing to do to prevent how I feel. You know, I thought that the first times were just occasional and that this time I wouldn't like it anymore.. " he explains.

"But? Because I'm sure there's a 'but '.. " Matthew smiles, quoting on purpose the same sentences Dom had said on the plane and that makes the blond smiles, too.

"But I was wrong. I liked it. God, I liked so bloody much! Maybe even more than the other times!" he confesses and then Matt holds his hand in his.

"Same reaction here. And, tell me, maybe you liked it so much that now you would like to do it again, am I right?" Matt asks him rhetorically, tugging the blond closer to him in order to kiss him again.

And the fact that the blond lets him do that, moaning happily, it's the best answer to him.

"Yeah, but.. wait.. " Dominic protests against his lips and he finally manages to part from him.

"We are supposed to talk. It's not that I'm complaining, of course, but this is not exactly what we are doing now.. " he makes him notice.

"You're right. Let's talk, then!" Matthew agrees, sitting on the bed as the other mirrors his actions.

"It's useless to look for excuses. Now it's not happened because I still have to recover from the journey, yesterday it's not almost happened because of the adrenaline of the after-show.. and it will not happen again just because we get drunk.. " Dom starts explaining.

"You're right. As it's true that it's not happened to bring good luck.. and now I'm not so sure anymore if the very first time happened because of the forfeit.. " the brunet confirms.

"I think so. It's not because of Chris' weird ideas, the mistletoe, not even the poker. I'm sure it would happen sooner or later. We can't ignore the truth.. "

"And what is the truth?" Matthew pretends to wonder.

"You know it better than me.. "

"Right, but I want you to tell me that, anyway.. " the frontman pouts.

It seems that also his pout is a portentous weapon and Dom can't help pleasing him.

"I like you. You like me. We like each other. Do I have to conjugate the whole verb or you finally got the point?" he smiles.

"Hell yeah, I got it. So, we can say we are too best friends who happen to enjoy kissing each other." Matt sums up.

"Who happen to enjoy kissing each other a lot!" Dom corrects him.

"So far.. " Matt mutters quietly, but Dom hears him.

"Uh? Does it mean that we won't confine ourselves just to do that?" the blond wonders dumbfounded.

"Who can say that? After all, all this stuff between us wasn't supposed to happen .. so I guess that a lot of other not-supposed things are going to happen soon. Besides, since we like, we really like kissing each other, I guess that we'll not dislike even doing the .. other stuff. And I'm scaring the hell out of me saying that, but.. the idea doesn't look so horrible to me. " Matthew confesses, afraid that he exaggerated.

"Well, I'm scaring the hell out of me, too, because neither do I find that idea so disgusting." the other admits, with a shy smile that to Matthew means just one thing: relief.

"Anyway, this is not correct. I mean, our girlfriends.. " Matt grumbles, getting worried.

"That's right. They utterly ignore all what's happening. We are betraying them.. " Dom agrees, as worried as well.

"Well, if you consider that Gaia uses to say to me 'Swear to me I'll always be the only girl for you' .. technically I'm not exactly betraying her.. " Matt points out.

"Well, if you put things in this way, neither am I exactly betraying my girlfriend, because she also uses to tell me the same thing of yours, but in a kind of different way. Generally her words are ' If I find out you date another girl I swear I'll tear you to shreds!' " Dom confesses.

"Does she really talk that way? I would have never guessed that. I thought that Jessica was such a sweet girl. "

"Appearance can deceives more than you can guess!" the blond rolls his eyes.

"Oh, my poor Dom, mistreated by his girlfriend!" Matt makes fun of him, cuddling him and ruffling his hair, affectionately.

Instead, Dominic stares at him with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" the brunet wonders.

"Did.. did you really say 'my Dom ' ?" he looks for confirmation, as Matthew thinks about what he has previously said, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah. I've really said 'my Dom '..." he admits.

"So.. does it make you.. my Matt?" the other asks him, without even the courage to look into his eyes, but Matt solves the problem, taking his face in his hands and forcing Dom to look at him.

"Only if you want it. And I want you to want it.. " he murmurs.

"I do!" Dominic declares fiercely, giving him a quick kiss.

"You know, in front of a priest or whomever in place of a priest.. well, this is just the kind of sentence that could have very interesting consequences! " Matt jokes.

"Hey, slow down, boy! And let's clear a point: I can't get married without having at least a bit of courtship before! " Dom jokes, too but then he sees the other become serious.

"Anyway, this is not what we were talking about."

"Right. So, what are we gonna do? We must tell them, no doubt about that!" Dom states, parting from him slightly.

"Of course we must. But.. not now. This is not the kind of news you can give someone by the phone. It would be such a coward behaviour and we're anything but coward. We'd better wait until the end of the tour, so we can come back and face them properly, telling them the truth." Matt suggests.

"I agree. This is the rightist thing to do. It's just that… what will we do as we wait for the tour to end?" Dom wonders.

"We should try to resist and stay far away from each other and.. damn, who the hell am I kidding? I already know that it's not going to work. " the brunet admits.

"I think so, too. After all, it's already an example what we were doing just a few minutes ago. " Dom comments with a smirk, before getting thoughtful.

"You know.. in a certain way I'm sorry for you and Gaia. I mean, you've been together for so long. "

"I know, it's not easy at all. It has been an important love story, a very important one and always will be. Anyway, even before all this stuff between you and me happened, things weren't going so well between us. Ok, it's just a bunch of little things, but gather all of them together and you get a huge one! Plus, what can I say? I know you much longer since!" Matt explains.

"Anyway, even you and Jessica.. I mean, you seemed to build something serious with her.. "

"I know, it will be a very important love story to me, too, the most important I had so far. By the way, it seems that now I'm going to build something even more serious.. with you!" Dom confesses.

"Yeah, but.. c'mon, don't you think this is weird? I mean, we have always liked women, always! We hadn't ever had a single doubt about it. And then, out of the blue, in a day like many others, in such an absurd way, with both of us that would never ever ever imagine, not even remotely, that one day we would be.. we would do.. .. " Matt grumbles incoherently, as he starts to get an unnatural speed in his speech.

Luckily, Dom interrupts him before he manages to overreach even the speed of light, because, really, he's almost about to do that!

"Damn you, Bells, you can't always analyze everything! Some things must be just accepted, especially the things that make us feel good. And since this one makes us feel more than good, we must just accept it, in the most natural way, without asking ourselves too many questions. Let's just make our rationality take a holiday!" Dominic patiently states.

"Hey, since when did you become so wise?" Matt frowns.

"I'm an endless source of surprises, my dear!" the other smirks. "So, is this official? Are we together now?" he asks him one second after, staring intently at him.

"It seems so. No matter how crazy it is, it's official!" Matt confirms, smiling at him.

"But are we not going to tell anybody, right?"

"Absolutely nobody. At least for now we'd better not to tell anyone, not even Chris. " Matt decides for both of them.

"That's so cool! We'll have a forbidden and secret relationship .. just like Romeo and Juliet!" the blond exults, grinning.

"If you think so, I play Romeo, no doubt about that!" the brunet clears up.

"Does it mean that I should play Juliet? No way, forget it! Why can't we both play Romeo? C'mon.. " Dom protests, resorting to his unfaultable weapon: his pout.

"As you please.. " the others gives in, defenceless.

"Anyway, among all the characters you could have chosen.. just those two? You remember how their story ends, don't you?" he adds, pretending to be worried.

"Of course I remember. What's the problem with that? Wouldn't you die for me?" the drummer asks him.

"No bloody way I would! Call me stupid, but you know.. I happen to enjoy living!" the singer strikes back resolutely.

"Phew! You're not romantic at all!" Dom snorts, turning his back to him, crossing his arms and acting insulted.

"If you've finished making a scene, * Juliet *, we'd better go now. Chris must be waiting for us in the hall.. " Matt makes him noticed, getting up from the bed with him.

"Hey! We have settled for two Romeos!" Dom snaps, irritated, almost yelping.

"I know, but I couldn't resist. You look too outrageously good when you act insulted!" the brunet winks at him.

"I've already told you, I always look good, no matter what I do!" the blond insists.

"Here we go, you're doing it again. Lovely!" Matthew whispers and Dom confines himself just to smile.

"Anyway, you're right, we'd better go now. " the blond exclaims but Matt seems to have other plans.

"There's not such a hurry, after all. Chris can wait one or two minutes more.. " he murmurs, pulling Dom to himself for another deep kiss.

TBC

Thanks to everyone who will read it, but if you want to make me happier, you know what to do (comment *hint, hint * )


	10. X: I have a terrible presentiment

Sorry for late!

Chapter X: I Have a Terrible Presentiment

It's not easy to figure out who is the most bizarre dude: Chris, who seems to embody all the 'Perfect housewife' columns in the whole world, or the receptionist who is listening to him with extreme interest, almost hanging on every of his words.

Truth is that, after staring at the clock at least fifty times in a minute, sick of all the waiting, Chris has got up from the sofa and taken a walk around the hall until he has ended up chatting lively with the receptionist on duty.

So, in the last twenty minutes (the ones Matthew supposed would be just *a couple*), he has enjoyed himself suggesting the man a couple of his successful recipes, advising him about how to get rid of even the most persistent stains, how to care about the plants in the best way ever and he has even filled him in on the most popular centre-pieces at the moment.

And now he's also giving him some advices in order to improve the hotel corporate image.

Due to all this information, it's easy to figure out that Chris is not only keen about fashion magazines, but he doesn't disdain either the ones about house, furniture, kitchen, sewing, cross-stitching , paper-folding, gardening and do-it-yourself... and he also has a thing for the gossip ones.

Basically, Chris happens to like whatever comes from a news kiosk!

"Gee, not even my wife knows so many things!" the receptionist comments, excited.

"Let's say that during our journeys I have plenty of time to read." Chris explains. "By the way, there's still a thing I need to tell you. Bearing in mind that while I really like the vases you have picked up, their disposition is awfully wrong, it doesn't highlight the room. Plus, I don't think that the colours you have chosen for the flower arrangement are good enough. If I were you I'd head to warmer colours, such as red, orange with just a glimpse of…" Chris goes on, but he cuts himself off, as soon as he heard the elevator open up and some voices come from it, two very familiar voices.

And when he foresees the figures of Matt and Dom reflected by a mirror, his doubts become certainty.

"Just a glimpse of what?" the receptionist exhorts him to speak, as he's trustfully taking notes, just like he has done with all the previous topics, almost as if that detail was a matter of life or death.

"Of course, I know that tonight there's the football match, buddy, like hell I'm going to miss it! As soon as our show is done, I'm going to enjoy it, lying on a sofa and gulping down beer, a lot of beer!" Chris exclaims out loud, on purpose, in order to make Dom and Matt hear him.

And to improve the effect, he also gives a playful but also manly pat on the receptionist's shoulder as he looks at him kind of puzzled, although he tries his best to disguise it.

Truth is that Matt and Dom utterly ignore that their friend cares about that kind of stuff. Since they have made fun of him for ages the very first time they caught him while he was flipping through a fashion magazine with a bewitched face, now the guy is trying his best to hide the rest from them, in order to defend his reputation of 'macho' that he's more than proud of.

In the meantime, Dom and Matt look at each other in disbelief, very doubtful.

"Don't you have the strange feeling that he made us hear him on purpose?" Matt exclaims.

"I was about to tell you the same. It's so damn obvious that he was talking about something else, before we got here. Something he wants to hide from us" Dominic realizes.

"Uhmm... yeah. Besodes, there's something that doesn't convince me at all. Who is that receptionist? Why is he talking with him? But mostly, is he a receptionist for real? I'm not so sure about it, maybe he's a member of another band, a band that Chris aims to…"Matt suspects.

"Wow, Bells, what a brilliant deduction! After this, you can even wear a horrible raincoat, match it with an even more horrible hat, smoke a pipe and talking to me saying 'Elementary, Howard'!" Dom comments, looking at him with sincere admiration.

"Yes, I could… but that raincoat and that hat are anything but horrible!" the other protests.

"Don't tell me you're planning to wear that stuff! I hope you won't do it for real!" the blonde starts to get worried.

"Why not? You often dress up as Spiderman, so I can dress up as Sherlock Holmes!" the brunet strikes back, but Dom can't talk anymore, because Chris is about to reach them.

"Hey, you two, it's about time! I was almost considering the option of playing all alone tonight!" Chris exclaims, sitting on a sofa with them.

It's more than obvious that he has said that playfully, but not for Matthew, because his mind elaborates that information in a drastically wrong way.

"Nice plan, no doubt about that. Anyway, if you really did such a thing, then, at the next show, just in order to get even, Matt and I should play all alone!" Dominic strikes back.

Although he has also said that very playfully, this time is Chris' mind that achieves that answer... and jumps to terrifying conclusions.

It seems that the drummer is the only carefree member of the band and he's also the one who breaks the awkward silence that has fallen, talking about anything.

As they all are busy chatting, Chris can't help noticing the way the receptionist is looking at him, a mixture of eagerness and trust.

Chris knows very well the detail he's yearning for.

"Sorry, guys, I have to deliver the keys of my room, be right back." he walks away with an excuse.

"But... he already delivered them, didn't he?" Dom points out, with a confused expression.

"I've already realized everything, but now I don't have time enough to explain that to you. Anyway, do you remember that speech about reverse psychology?" Matt asks him.

"Of course I do, how could I forget it? You overloaded my head with that!" the other rolls his eyes.

"Good. Now it's time to use it. Listen to what I'll say and then try to play my game!" the brunet warns him.

"OK. Hey, wait a moment. You're not already using it on me, are you?" the blond gets suspicious.

"Damn you, Dom! It's not that you must always mean the contrary of what I say! We're gonna use it as soon as Chris comes back. I already know what topic we must appeal to, trust me." the other winks at him.

"I always trust you, you should know that." the blond smiles.

If they weren't in the middle of a hall, surrounded by people, that conversation would turn into something else.

In the meantime, Chris has reached the receptionist.

"Just a glimpse of what?" he repeats, as a broken record.

"Wisteria. End of the speech. And don't you dare tell those two about that!" Chris threatens him in a whisper, pointing quickly at his friends who are just too busy chatting, or rather plotting and making moony eyes to each other, to notice that.

The receptionist gives him his word and Chris leaves relieved.

Seeing him come back, Matt and Dom quit talking.

Dom observes Matt, curious to know what his plan is.

"You know, buddy, Dom and I were making a kind of survey…" Matt pursues.

Uh? Were we really doing such a thing? Dom wonders puzzled, but he doesn't dare cut him off.

"Really? About what?" Chris wonders, sitting back with them.

"About our instruments: which is the easiest one to play? No offence intended, mate, but the winner is just the bass!"

Chris stares at him as if he had stabbed him in the back.

"Matt is right. Think about it, when you came in our band you didn't even play the bass, and yet it took you just a while to learn how to play it very well." Dom adds, realizing finally where Matt is leading that speech up to.

"Well, it's just because I'm very good in that and I also learn things quickly. Plus, the bass is my life, I just had still to find that out back to those days…" Chris states.

"No, it's just because it's a very easy instrument to play, anyone else would manage to do that in a short time." Matt insists, cold and impassive.

"But…" Chris mumbles almost shocked.

"So, in case that you became sick…" Dominic goes on.

"Or in case that, for strange reasons why, * you felt like dumping us *..." Matthew adds, lingering on the last words on purpose.

"It wouldn't change much for us. Beyond the very deep friendship that bounds us, as we have found you, Chris, we would find many others in a heartbeat to replace you!" Dom goes on, with the same coldness that Matthew is showing to him, even with a shrug, almost as if what he's talking about wasn't that important.

Beyond the very deep friendship that bounds us? Why? Should I still consider those two as 'friends' of mine? Chris asks himself, more and more devastated.

"It was just a survey, of course!" Matthew reaffirms.

"Yeah, a purely hypothetic speech. C'mon, do you really think that such a thing could happen for real?" Dominic adds, patting his shoulder.

And they even dare ask me that? If it's how things are, well... I dread it will happen soon, very soon… Chris thinks and then he gets up.

"Excuse me now, I have to make my daily phone-call." he informs them, drawing his mobile out and leaving the room.

"Did you notice the way he looked at us? It's working so well, we're making him change his mind for sure!" Matthew rejoices. "And you were just marvellous when you reminded him of the beginning... that was such a ingenious move, I hadn't thought of it!" he congratulates with Dominic.

"I guessed it was appropriate. And judging by his face, it seems it worked well." the blond smiles, overjoyed because of his compliments.

"Now you must explain to me what you think you realized!" he questions him.

"OK, but, please, remember, I don't think. I have absolute certainty!" the other points out.

"Let's listen to it, then!"

"OK. What did Chris say when he went back to the reception?"

"He said that he had to deliver his keys... but why is that so important?" Dom frowns.

"Elementary, Howard. It's important, because when he came back to us, he still had the keys in his pocket!"

"Damn, I didn't notice that. So, it was just an excuse."

"Exactly. And do you remember how he pretended to talk about something else when he saw us coming?"

"Yeah, but... why did he do that?"

"Elementary, Howard. He has got a very detailed plan. We were wrong; he doesn't want to be part of another band. Just think about it. He said that he was ready to get on the stage all alone. On a musical level, he's the most complete of the trio, because he can play both the bass and the drums, and the guitar, too. Plus, he can sing too, sometimes I make fun of him, but truth is that he can sing very, very well." Matt comments.

"Oh, my God! So, he wants a new career as a soloist!" Dom figures out, frightened.

"Elementary, Howard. And I bet that that man is a fake receptionist who actually is his new manager, in disguise. And maybe he was already suggesting him some tour dates for his debut. That's why he was talking with him and acted so furtively." Matt explains.

"I'm speechless Matt, this is such a brilliant deduction…" Dominic congratulates with him. "But if you dare say 'Elementary, Howard' once again, I swear I'll punch your face!" he threatens him the second after.

"But it's you who gave me the idea!" the brunet justifies.

"Yeah, and I still repent for that. Anyway, damn you, Bells, it's not that you must take everything I say literally!" the blond rolls his eyes.

"You always do the contrary of what I say, so we are even!" the other strikes back.

"You are so exaggerated! It happened just a couple of times." the blond corrects him and then he changes his expression from bothered to irresistible. "Hey, Matt... Can we pretend that Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson fall desperately in love with each other? After all, they're best friends, too." he suggests.

"Dammit, Dom! Do I have to remind you of how we have already messed up with 'Romeo and Juliet' ? For today I guess we twisted badly enough master pieces of Literature!" Matthew strikes back.

"Yeah, right, we'd better not to exaggerate." he agrees, although a little bit upset.

"Anyways, I was talking just about the true Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Sherlock Bells and Doctor Howard can do whatever they please!" Matt winks at him with a smile, happy to see him cheerful again.

"Ok, it's only that Sherlock Bells and Doctor Howard can't fall head over heels for each other.." the blond dissents.

"Why not?" Matt gets concerned as he dreads that Dom has already changed his mind.

"Because they already did!" Dom winks at him and the other smiles with immediate relief.

They would like to do much more, but they must confine themselves just to hold their hands and look at each other, but in a very fleeting way, not to arouse suspicion.

"Hey, Matt, are you really sure that we'll manage to make Chris change his mind?" the blond asks him seriously, wavering.

"Yes, if our plan works."

"And what will happen… if it doesn't work?" the other wonders, wavering again.

"Well, I guess it will be the end of Muse, then." Matthew states, grieving.

***************************** (In the meantime)

From the other side of the ocean, in a little bit of Paradise, bathing in the sun, on a beach identical to the ones you can see in the brochures of the best travel agencies, a certain guy who happens to be named Tom Kirk jolts out of the blue, shivering and gasping.

"Hey, Tommy, honey, what's wrong?" a very nice blonde girl asks him, as she's busy bathing and relaxing with him as well, wearing a very colourful and scanty bikini.

The girl gets closer to him and massages his shoulders, in order to relax him.

In the meantime she manages to keep an eye on her mobile, too, since she can't allow herself to turn it off, especially when there are thousands of kilometres between her and her band.

"I don't know why, dear, but... I have a terrible presentiment…" Tom gets worried.

******************************* (In the meantime)

Without any need to cross the ocean, but simply leaving the Hall, another certain guy he's busy talking on the phone.

"Kelly, it's going from bad to worse!" Chris exclaims.

"Tell me, what happened this time?" his wife wonders bored as she rolls her eyes.

"They clearly said to me that I'm easy to replace! NO, wait, it's worse, maybe they don't even need another bassist, since they already planned a show where they're the only ones to perform…" he informs her, embittered.

"I can't believe it, I'm sure they were just kidding..."

"After all, Dom said that kinda playfully… but maybe they think about it for real. Plus, they keep isolating, almost as if they tried to avoid me."

"Oh, c'mon, you're exaggerating. There must be a logical reason why they are acting like that."

"Oh, yeah, there is. And the message is more than clear: I was the last one who joined the band, so I must be the first one to leave it!" her husband sighs melodramatically.

"Oh, please, shut up! It's just your imagination that's playing tricks on you. You all are a band and you'll always be." she assures him.

"No, Kelly, you don't understand. They are so mean to me!" Chris whimpers.

"Oh, my God! Chris, now you're reminding me of Alfie during his first days at school, when he didn't want to go there because he didn't get along with his buddies! What? Do you want me to have a little talk with your buddies too, in order to make them treat you better?" his wife wonders sarcastically.

"Would you really do that for me?" Chris asks her hopefully.

"Gee, I was kidding!"

"But you did that for Alfie!" her husband protests.

"Damn you! Christopher Tony Wolstenholme, you're beefy and can handle these stupid things on your own!" Kelly snaps.

"Here we go, you said that: I'm fat!" Chris gets desperate. "Maybe I should try the Pineapple diet. I heard it can burns the 10% of fat!" he ponders out loud.

"No, no Pineapple diet. No diet at all! I've just said that you're beefy, not fat, and I like the way you are, honey, I really do." she murmurs, pleasing him. "Now let's talk about more important things. Have you already seen the new cover of Vogue?" Kelly changes topic.

"Hell yeah, I've seen it, my love. And, you know, there are at least three wrong things in the model's hairstyle…"

TBC

Do you still remember Matt's war against senility? Whatever the answer is, you'll see about that in next chapter, I just can say that... I'll make him perform a very crazy and terrible awful song, yeah... I'm getting more and more insane!

Hope you had fun reading that. But please, whatever you think about it, just tell me! ;)


	11. XI: My Head is Going to Blow Up

Sorry for late! Thank you so much for reviewing, it means a lot to me! ^^

Chapter XI : My Head is Going to Blow Up

"You know what, honey? I think I finally understood why Matthew and Dominic are acting that way." Kelly exclaims, after listening to her husband's monologue about the cover of Vogue.

"Really? Please, enlighten me." Chris begs her, eager to know.

"Let's sum up: they tend to isolate... and that bothers you. They almost make you feel unwanted... and that bothers you. They act as if they didn't need you... and that bothers you. They say you play the most useless instrument ever, without even admitting how good you are at it and that really pisses you off."

"Well, court of honour, now that you analyzed all the details so scrupulously, one by one, can you finally return a verdict?" her husband cuts her off.

"It's simple: they're doing that just in spite of you!" she states.

"Uh? In spite of me?"

"Yeah, just and only to annoy you. That's the way they have their fun. After all, you know better than me that sometimes they both act as if they were nothing more than eight years old!" she goes on, rolling her eyes.

"Uhmm... yeah. It's only that it's ok for Dom who is a child trapped inside the body of an adult who looks like a teenager, but Matt, no, he could never... Wait a minute. After all, one moment he is utterly concentrated as he creates music, composes or simply talks in an interview, drawing out such complicate and philosophical-metaphysical topics, so deep that you can't help saying 'wow!'… and the moment after he's acting crazy, whenever he is, whatever is holding in his hands, even a spoon!" Chris comments.

"What can I say? Too much deepness can go to his head. Anyway, this is only your fault, next time think about it before choosing as your best friends two guys who suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome!" Kelly strikes back.

"Enough with the criticism towards my friends, now. I've known them that way and I'm going to keep them that way. Quite the contrary, I would never want them to change, they wouldn't be themselves anymore. Anyway, about that speech of them doing things in spite of me... how do you think I should react?"

"Oh my, Chris, how can it be that you haven't realized that yet? It's the easiest of all the mechanisms: the more you act insulted, the more they have fun and keep teasing you, to make you hysterical once again. The only way to break this vicious circle is not only stop acting insulted, but just go along with them. If you do that they won't find it funny anymore, so they'll just quit it!" she explains to him.

"Ok, I'll try to follow your advice. I think that it could work."

"You just think it? You'll just try to do that? Damn you, Chris, it' so impressive the way you entrust me! I guess I've wasted way too much time with your stupid matters, now it's up to you and your ungrateful mistrust!" Kelly snaps, hanging up the phone abruptly.

Chris stares at his mobile dumbfounded, wondering what exactly has happened in the last thirty seconds.

What? Did I say something wrong? I don't think so... he questions himself, already thinking about a way to make her forgive him.

No matter if he hasn't the slightest idea what for.

It seems that, although now he knows how to face his friends, he has still a lot to learn about how to face women!

******************************** (In the meantime)

"Is he done with that?" Matthew asks Dominic.

Truth is that they witnessed his friend's phone call, watching him from the window; that's why, luckily, they just can see him without hearing what he and his wife are talking about.

Matthew has patiently held on the first ten minutes, and then he has got tired of that, coming back to the sofa. Instead, Dominic has kept watching.

"Yeah, it seems so. I just don't understand while he's staring dumbfounded at his mobile. Uh, I got it! Maybe Kelly has sent to him a filthy picture of her!" the blond presumes.

"Maybe she has. So, let's him enjoy that picture a little bit more and then we'll reach him outside." the other decides as he gets up and approaches him.

"Let me guess, 'Reverse Psychology: Act II'?" Dominic smirks.

"Elementary..."

"Don't you even dare finish that sentence!" Dom glares at him icily.

"Never mind!" Matt surrenders, a little bit frightened by his look. "Anyway, yes, you guessed right. We're going to give another try and see if it works." he adds but the other doesn't even seem to listen to him anymore as he stares into the void.

"Hey, Dom, are you still on this Planet?" the brunet waves his hand in front of him.

"Uh! Yeah, it's only that... I was thinking... why don't we send each other filthy pictures of us, too?" Dom suggests, with an intriguing light sparkling in his eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe just because we're together 24/7, so there's no need at all!" the other tries to make him desist.

"Phew, you're so unbearably defeatist!" the blond snorts, rolls his eyes and crosses his arms on his chest, keeping his distance from him.

"Here we go, you're playing Juliet, again!" Matt makes fun of him, giggling.

"Take back what you've just said, Bells. You're so fucking asking for trouble!" the blond snaps, looking daggers at him.

But Matthew is not afraid at all.

"What if I sent to you some filthy pictures of me?" he whispers mischievously at his ear, blowing softly on his nape.

The blond shivers and changes mood instantly.

"This is just the kind of speeches I like!" he smirks, as they both leave the hall.

"If you keep staying so damn stuck to that mobile, you'll end up becoming a radiation yourself!" Dominic makes fun of Chris as he catches him off guard and steals the mobile from his hand, switching it off, in order not to see at the potential filthy picture he thinks Kelly sent to him, and throwing it to Matt.

As the skinny brunet catches the mobile, he feels exactly like a rugby player who has just caught the ball and knows that the whole opponent team is about to attack him.

Chris doesn't even bother to get closer to him, he just looks at him, straight into his eyes.

"Bells, if you don't give my mobile back instantly... well, unless you can resort to the power of mind, it will be very hard, if not impossible, for you to manage to play the piano and the guitar again after what I'm going to do to you!" he threatens him.

Matt immediately gives the mobile back to him, scared by his look much more than by Dominic's previous one.

"Alright, this is the third threat of the day... or maybe it's already the fourth one? I lead such a dangerous life!" the frontman comments ironically

Chris looks inquisitively at Dom.

"What he's babbling about?"

"Well, you know... I told him that I would make him fall from fifth floor, punch his face... stuff like that!" the blond shrugs.

"Whatever! Just try to have your soulmate far from you and you'll understand me!" Chris justifies, switching his mobile on again. "Wait a minute. You already are in this situation. You should understand me, then!" he adds.

Dominic and Matthew exchange a look.

"Believe me, Chris, we totally understand you…" Dom starts.

"But, trust us, when we're on tour this is the last of our problems!" Matt ends the sentence for him.

Chris look at them puzzled, adding mentally also that to the list of all the things he can't understand about them.

"So, what about going to soundcheck?" he changes topic.

"I agree, we've mucked around way too much! " Dom comments.

"You're right. Anyway... phew! I mean, band rehearsal, band studio recording, touring with the band... just and only the same thing! Hey, Chris, don't you ever think about how a career as a soloist could be?" Matthew asks him, enacting his twisted plan.

- Ah-ah. Here we go again, but this time you two won't make me a fool, my dear spiteful buddies! -

Chris ponders.

"Gee, Matt, you've just read my mind! I keep asking myself that, it's such an appealing perspective. After all, you live just once, so you have to try any possible thing. So, who knows? It could happen sooner or later, maybe sooner than later!" Chris comments, acting excited.

Dominic stares at him speechless and shocked, instead Matthew smiles satisfied.

"That's the way to talk, mate!" he exclaims, patting his shoulder.

Chris stares puzzled at him.

"Well, I go to my room to change outfit, I'll be back in fifteen minutes!" the bassist announces, leaving.

. That's it, I knew it! I pretended to be tempted by a career as soloist and what did they do? One kept silent and the other... the other was even thrilled by that and he incited me, too! The hell with being spiteful, Kelly was so wrong! Wait a minute. She said that they act spitefully just when I get pissed off. But this time I went along with them... and they stopped contradicting me, indeed. My Kelly is a genius. I mean, I should have gotten seriously worried if they had begged me to stay with them and never ever leave the band. Instead, they acted like they couldn't care less... so it's a good sign. Even if it doesn't make much sense. Oh, poor me, my head is going to blow up! - Chris torments himself, coming back to his room.

In the meantime, Dominic and Matthew go back to the Hall.

"Can you tell me why you keep grinning like an idiot?" Dominic snaps.

"Can you tell me why you are not doing the same?" Matt strikes back.

"And you even wonder why! It's a tragedy, you heard him, didn't you?" Dom insists.

"Of course I did. That's why we should celebrate!"

Dom stares at him more and more puzzled.

"Excuse me, Matt, but I guess I missed two, three or maybe one hundred passages in your reasoning! All I know it's that we're about to become a duo. On a private level it's just wonderful, but on the artistic one it's just a tragedy!" the blond gets nervous.

"Listen, I'm going to explain everything to you, bit by bit. What did I do when I talked about a career as soloist?"

"You used reverse psychology."

"That's right. And what do you think Chris did with his answer?"

"He used that, too, didn't he?" the other ventures a guess.

"That's right. The hidden message clearly was 'I've changed my mind. I don't wanna leave you anymore!'. Instead, if he had protested, saying that we should never split... well, it would have been the end for real!" Matthew states.

"Oh, god, my head is going to blow up!" Dom massages his temples.

"Wait a minute. How can you be so sure that he also was effectively using reverse psychology? Maybe he really means what he said. Or, worse, maybe he realized that we were using reverse psychology on him, so he used a double one on us, to make us do the contrary of the contrary of what he expects from us, so…"

"Please, Dom, stop it! Now *my * head is going to blow up!" Matt implores him as he throws up his hands in despair.

"Anyway, trust me, everything came back to normality, because that *was* reverse psychology. You know, I have a sort of sixth sense to recognize it." Matt assures him.

"Ok, I believe you. So, we have ten minutes left. Uhmm... what about *celebrating* in my room this return to normality?" Dom asks him suggestively and Matt greedily accepts that invitation.

After about one hour and half, Muse is busy with the rehearsal and they already played more than half playlist.

They are really satisfied by the result, maybe it's because everyone now performs with revamped optimism due to the escape from the danger of split-up.

No matter that said danger never really existed, it was just and only in their minds!

Matthew is such in a good mood that, when they take their break, he decides to share with the other two the famous project he's been working on for almost three days, whenever he gets free time.

"Hey, guys, I want to make you listen to something new…" he announces, a little bit excited.

He almost seems to be a child who is about to read his Christmas poem to his family.

It's a wonder that he doesn't get on a chair, put his hands behind his back and start dangling back and forth.

Matthew does nothing like that, of course, he simply sits at the piano, giving birth to a harmonious, suave and tickling intro, so much that Chris and Dom are ready to bet it will be a romantic ballad.

At least it's what they think before the melody turns into a jumble of unpleasant notes that seem to be played at random.

But the strangest thing ever is that it is a wanted effect, a well plotted deceive.

Matthew is making that cacophony on purpose, with knowledge, mastery and a very talented refinement.

And the maker of those dissonant and vaguely nasty sounds falls off in a short but deep silence, necessary for him to pass from the piano to his electric guitar, and then he starts playing in a mad and violent way as he gets closer to the microphone.

SEASONS TURN, DAYS GO BY

Matthew sings in a soft way, extending every syllable as longer as possible, before switching the microphone on distorted mode.

CAN'T WAIT 'TILL THE DAY YOU'LL DIE

He screams as possessed and then he switch the microphone back to normal, in order to do to the same on the next two verses.

THE CLOCK WON'T STOP, LIFE CAN'T LAST

CAN'T WAIT 'TILL YOU'LL BE JUST DUST

Matt goes on singing, before playing a very hard riff that brings the song to a kind of pre-chorus.

There's no need to switch the microphone back to normal, because he needs distorted mode until the end of the song, although now he whispers instead of yelling.

I'LL BE CRAVING FOR THAT DAY  
WHEN PAIN AND SICKNESS TAKE YOU AWAY  
AND YOU'LL CAN NO LONGER BREATH  
FALLING DOWN SIX FEETH UNDERNEATH

After that there's a short but intense instrumental part that leads to the chorus, the very last part.

AND I'LL STAND, LAUGHING AT YOU  
'CAUSE WE BOTH KNOW THE WHOLE TRUTH  
I'M A CHEERFUL, NICE, YOUNG GUY  
YOU'RE AN OLD DAMN GROUCH WHO MUST JUST DIE 

Matthew takes a deep long breath, before repeating the last word, this time screaming like hell once again.  
DIE... ! 

It's not easy to establish who is roaring more between his guitar and Matt himself!

After one last riff he ends up, letting the last chord ring.

The guy takes off the guitar and turns to his small audience who is staring at him dumbfounded.

"So, guys, what do you think of it?" he wonders, eager to know.

TBC

As Matt asks his friend (and you'll find out their reactions on next chapter), I ask you, too : 'What do you think of it? '

I accept even insults, of course! ;P

Just let me clear some points: the real, unique, inimitable, supreme, wonderful Matt could NEVER EVER EVER write such a crappy 'song', not even after 40 beers or under the effect of the most hallucinogenic 'mushrooms' !

Anyway, about the way this 'song' is played, I took inspiration from 'Yes Please' (I just love Matt's distorted voice, so damn hot!) . Another example could be the last part in 'Host', or the 'blow it all away' in 'In your world'… aawww! 3

And this is what Chris meant about Matt and the spoon (I bet you already knew those wonderful pics)

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As always, I hope you had fun reading that, but feel free to tell me everything, really!


	12. XII: No way!

Thank you so much for reviewing ^^

Chapter XII: No Way!

After some seconds (maybe even some minutes) of silence, Chris is the first one to talk.

"What can I say, Bells? I guess it's way too soon…"

"Too son for what?" the singer narrows his eyes.

"For April fool's day, since it's just half January! Because this is a joke, isn't this? C'mon, it can't be anything but a joke!" the bassist snaps.

"No, it's not a joke. Wait, I got you. You are talking like that because it's still a work in progress, but…"

- Oh, my god, so he's not kidding at all. Note to myself: not always when Matthew concentrates and composes music he draws out something deep and spiritual!- Chris ponders, before striking back.

"Please, Matt, stop working on that project!"

"Do you mean that it's already perfect this way, so I don't need to work on it again and we can already start playing together and record it?" the frontman asks him, hopefully.

"No way! Forget it, we'll never ever record that… thing!" his friend makes him desist.

"Alright! You think that it's mostly a live song to play just at the shows, right?" the other figures out, as he already approves that idea.

"No way! That would be even worse! Matthew, are you aware that you basically wrote an anthem against old people? Why do you hate them so much?" Chris wonders.

"I have my reasons!" Matthew grumbles.

"Just think about it. Let's suppose that an old person, I don't know, maybe a grandfather with his nephew, comes too see our show and you sing that... that so called song, too. How do you think he would react?" Chris tries to make him reason , with a patience that he ignores to have.

"There's no problem about that. They must not see our shows, it's simple. It will be enough to put all around some warnings." Matt suggests.

"So, tell me, what would you like to do? To plaster every place where we have a gig with tons of posters with the announcement 'The show is off limits to old damn geezers'?" Chris wonders ironically.

"No way! I would never do such a thing. I 'm not so rude and cold!" Matt comments horrified and Chris silently rejoices due to the fact that his friend seems to still have a glimpse of common sense.

"I mean, 'off limits' is such a hostile and unpleasant terminology, I could never use it. It's way much better 'Old damn geezers, we ask you cordially not to see this show. Thank you.'" Matthew adds.

Chris' temporary relief just fades away, immediately.

"You're right, Matt, this changes everything!" Chris mutters sarcastically ah he shakes his head in resignation.

"So, does it mean we can do it?" the frontman wonders, more and more hopeful.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" Chris roars, exasperated.

Matthew grumbles something indecipherable and then he turns to Dominic who doesn't even seem to pay attention to them, since he's lost in his thoughts.

"Hey! You don't even want to tell me what you think about the song, do you?" Matt diverts his attention.

"Uh? Do you wanna know what I think about it? IT'S WONDERFUL! I like the way it begins, I like the way it ends, I like all the variations. I like the aggressiveness, I like the rhythm, I like the subject … I like it all!" the blond declaims excited as his eyes sparkle with admiration towards Matt.

"So, why did you keep silent?" Chris points out, as he definitely gives up his chimera of convincing those two, or at least one of them, about how wrong, dull and wicked that kind of pathetic attempt to a song is.

"It's just because I was trying to play the melody in my mind. And you know what? I think I found the perfect moment to insert a drum solo that could go down in history!" the blond informs them, more and more enthused, just like Matt after that news.

"So, you like it for real!" he cheers happily.

"Of course I do, did you doubt about that?" the blond smiles at him.

"Uh. You two getting along irritatingly well and thinking the same about a matter. That's new!" Chris comments ironically as he rolls his eyes.

"See? It's two against one, and you know… majority wins! We're going to record that song, maybe even during this tour." Matthew insists.

"Never! Forget it! About the majority, we are even, because when I tell Tom about it he'll surely be on my side!" Chris informs them.

"Uh. You two getting along irritatingly well and thinking the same about a matter. That's new!" Dominic quotes his previous speech on purpose, chuckling with Matt, but Chris does the wisest things ever: he just ignores them.

"No, wait, that's even better, I'm sure the whole Warner records will be on my side, too. So, my dear guys, surrender, mine is a crushing victory!" Chris warns them.

"Can we at least place it as a b-side in the next single?" Dominic suggests.

"No way!" Chris strikes back.

"Not even as a b-side that's only available on the web?" the blond insists.

"No sodding, bloody, shitty way!" Chris adds to it.

"Uh, Matt, we haven't even asked you yet: how is it called?" Dominic gets curios.

" 'Inconveniences of the First Class'!" Matthew replies.

Chris and Dominic stare at him, astonished.

"It's such a long story…" he explains, rolling his eyes.

"I give up understanding you!" Chris announces.

"I like even the title!" Dominic grins.

"Correction: I give up understanding both of you!" Chris rolls his eyes.

out of the blue, Matthew's mobile gives out a tiny beep that gets louder and louder, until its owner turns it off.

"What was that?" Chris asks him.

"A reminder." Matt replies.

"Of course it's reminder, but for what?"

"It's girlfriends' time!" Matt explains, glancing at Dom who nods.

"Yeah, today it was your turn to set it up." the blond adds.

"What? How long have you been resorting to a reminder to call your girlfriends?" Chris wonders dumbfounded.

"Since we... tend to forget it." Matt admits.

"What? How can it be? I don't believe you. You shouldn't use a reminder; it should be your heart suggesting you to do that!" Chris states, being careful not to expose his poetic mood too much in order to defend his beloved reputation of 'macho'.

- If I had to listen to my heart, right now there would be only Dom and me doing tons of nasty things on the piano, no, wait, that's even better, on the drums! Why not? Maybe even on a guitar... uh, no, maybe it would be way too uncomfortable… and somehow extremely kinky, too! - the frontman ponders, looking at the drummer until their eyes meet.

- What does my heart suggest me to do? Matt, me and... handcuffs, handcuffs, HANDCUFFS! Uh, ok, maybe it's not exactly my * heart* suggesting that! - the blond thinks as he smiles at Matt.

"Ok, let's go call them, then. Chris, would you mind…" Matt asks.

"Uh? Oh, yeah, sure!" Chris realizes, walking towards the door.

"Hey, wait a minute. Why just me?" he protests, stopping.

"Because Dom and I will be too busy talking with our girlfriends to hear each other. Instead, you would just listen to the whole conversation … and I don't like that." Matt explains.

"He's right. But you could just watch us, like we do with you." Dominic lets it slip from his mouth.

"What? Does it mean that you watch me as I talk with Kelly?" Chris frowns.

"Yes, we do, but just when we get the opportunity!" Matthew points out.

"That's right. Anyway, don't worry, we didn't see that filthy picture!" Dom winks at the bassist.

Too bad that Chris has not the slightest idea what he's talking about.

"Now, please, go." Matthew gently begs him, gesticulating, too.

"No way! When I have to call Kelly I'm always the one who leaves the room. So, you're gonna do the same!" Chris exhorts them. "Besides, I can't trust you. You would even able to use it as an excuse to have the room at your disposal and record that bloody horror you can keep calling a song!" Chris accuses them.

"Do you really think so? I'm insulted!" Matthew mutters, outraged.

"I'm insulted, too. At least, give me time to memorize that song, before accusing me!" Dom adds.

"Anyway, this is not a problem. Come on, Dom, let's go, since Mr I-don't-trust-you doesn't want us to stay." Matt announces as he leaves the room with Dominic.

They close the door behind their back and walk through the corridor, heading to the exit.

They both stare at their mobiles in disbelief.

"C'mon, we can do it. It's just a matter of ten minutes." Matt states.

"Yeah. Ten minutes made of lies." Dom sighs unhappily.

"I don't like cheating on them, either. Anyway, we're going to face them, just not now, we already talked about it." Matt assures him with a soft tone and one hand on his shoulder.

"Ok, let's do it, then!" Dom agrees, as they take different directions.

"Matthew!" the blond calls him from afar.

"What?" the brunet turns to him.

"Didn't you forget a certain thing?" Dom pleads him, with a look that hides an invitation that Matt perceives as quickly as he accepts it.

As a matter of fact, he goes back towards the blond.

They take a cautious look around, but when they see that there's no one around, they hold their hands and share a short but very intense kiss. So much that they both moan their disappointment when they break it.

"Mm... now it's getting better!" Dominic smiles satisfied as they part from each other and go make the respective phone call.

Just like they had foreseen, ten minutes after they're back.

Dom takes place at the drum, Chris and Matt put on the shoulder straps of their instruments, but before resuming to play, Matthew has something to say.

"Uh, Chris, I have another idea about how to use that song." he hazards.

"Gee, Bells, why should you waste your time and breath to suggest me something that you already know I'll inevitably refuse?" Chris snorts.

"Well, at least listen to my idea first." the frontman insists.

"Ok. Spit out!"

"What do you think about placing it in our next album, as a ghost track, without even warning about that. Plus, we could make it start after something like, I don't know, forty minutes?" Matthew suggests.

"Who the hell would ever let a CD go on for *forty minutes* after what is supposed to be the *last* song?" Chris wonders, distressed.

"I would!" Dom declares proudly.

"Why am I not surprised at all?" Chris rolls his eyes for the umpteenth time.

"Anyway, NO! Not even if you would make it start after * forty hours*. End of the bloody speech!" the bassist clears the point, irreducible.

Even if a bit bothered, Matt has already begun the intro of 'Assassin', but Chris stops him.

"What? Did I make any mistakes with the chords? I don't think so." Matt mumbles.

"No, it's not that. It's just that I forgot to tell you, after our show we're gonna stay to see the My Chemical Romance." Chris warns them.

"No! No way! Not again! We've already done that." Matthew protests.

"Listen, to leave after the second song is not what I call to see a whole show!" Chris makes him notice. "So, not only we're gonna stay, but after their show we will even have a dinner, all together. Their manager invited us and I agreed, just like Tom would do. And don't even start complaining!" he adds, turning to Matthew.

"Dammit! I think I'll need *a lot* of wine to face everything!" he thinks out loud as he sighs unhappily.

The show at the Wolstein Center was great and the crowd welcomed them more than enthusiastically.

Anyway, no one has seemed to notice the way Dom and Matt kept eying each other up, not even Chris has noticed that, since he was too busy playing.

After all, he's kinda accustomed to see them close to each other; it's the most normal routine ever.

And after the show, under Chris' extreme control, Dom but mostly Matt have been forced to watch the whole performance of the My Chemical Romance, looking at a bunch of girls dressed in a dark way that jumped, yelled and got crazy whenever the frontman of that band went close to them.

And Matt's torture culminated with the dinner.

Just like he had foreseen, wine has kept company to him all time long… with the relative consequences.

"Now, tell me what the hell was wrong with you!" Chris scolds him in awe, as the cab brings them back to the hotel.

"Why? What did I do?" Matt wonders with all the innocence he can muster.

"What did you do? Gee, do you think it was appropriate to start caressing the blade of a knife with a finger and then look at them , one by one, with a manic expression, aiming the knife in their direction and saying with a even more manic voice 'I guess we'll have lots of fun together!'?" Chris reminds him.

"I was just kidding!" Matt declares, even more innocently.

"It was fun!" Dominic states as he chuckles with Matt at the memory.

"But it wasn't fun for them. Poor dear guys, you scared the shit out of them!" Chris snaps.

"Phew! They just keep singing about death, darkness, blood, vampires, murders and death all over again… and they got so scared because of a simple little knife? Yellow-bellies, that's what they are!" Matthew snorts with a shrug.

"Maybe they sing about all this stuff just to exorcise their fears and that would explain their reaction!" Dom justifies them.

That makes Matt think about it for a while and then he jumps to another conclusion.

"Yellow-bellies and cheaters, too!" he asserts and both Dom and Chris don't even try to answer back.

The cab arrives to the Hotel and they walk towards the elevator.

After taking Chris to his room and after getting sure no one is in the nearby, Matt and Dom take each other by the hand and walk together until they reach the point where they should be supposed to depart.

It's enough with just one look to make them read in each other's eyes the same desire, to realize that that night will be * the night*.

The night to make something important happen.

The night to bring their relationship to an upper level.

The night to go much more beyond the kisses.

As a matter of fact, they both smile mischievously, asking each other the same thing at the same moment.

"Your place or mine?"

TBC

As you can easily guess, next chapter will be utterly centred on BellDom, yaaaay! ^^

Don't miss it ;P

About this delirious chapter… here we go again with pics' time!

This time is about Matt's serial killer attitude, the first picture is the one who inspired me for that part, you'll understand why ;)

. (please, notice Dom's terrified look! After all, Matt is quite creepy, lol!)

.

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I hope you had fun reading, but feel free to tell me anything, as always!


	13. XIII: I love you

Thank you so much for reviewing ^^

This is slightly NC 17…

Chapter XII : I Love You

Among giggles and tiny yells, as they try not to get too noisy since it's pretty late, Matt and Dom walk backwards, hugged as they share a long and deep kiss that neither of them wants to break, no matter what.

Matthew's room is the one they reach first, so it's the one where they decide to stay.

Basically, Matt is just supposed to draw out from his pocket the swipe card and let it flow in the scanner beside the door in order to open it, but the alcohol in his veins, and mostly Dom's ministrations, make that operation almost impossible.

"C'mon, Dom, ummppph… be a good boy, I can't open the door if you keep doooooooing thiiiisss…" the brunet moans against his lips, in a weak attempt of protest.

"Well, don't open it, then. Because I can't heeeeeeelp doing thiiiiiiis..." the blond strikes back as he keeps kissing him his way, pressing him against the door and making him feel the effect that that closeness is having on him.

And that sends Matt into a frenzy.

Anyway, when Dom sees Matt trying to open the door with his credit card, he has the absolute certainty that he's freaking out.

So, unwillingly, he breaks their kiss and parts from him, leaning against the wall as he allows his partner to recover.

"I give you a minute. Hurry up!" he warns him.

Matthew doesn't waste any time and manages to draw out the right card that almost magically lets him open the door.

The frontman grabs the drummer's forearm and drags him in the room, kicking the door closed without caring about the noise.

"Thank you, Dom, I really needed it, also because it would have been so awkward to get down in the corrid…"

"Less chatting. More kissing!" the blond cuts him off, captures his lips again with his and wraps himself around him, even more eagerly than before.

They back off towards the bed and Matthew lets himself fall down, clinging to Dominic.

His goal was to land on the soft mattress, too bad that he calculates wrong and just for a few inches he definitely misses it, landing unceremoniously on the floor that, although it's covered by a velvet carpet, is anything but soft.

"Ouch! It wasn't supposed to end like this. There's not even a single part of my body that is not aching now. Ouch!" the brunet grimaces in pain.

"Speak for yourself. I've landed on something pretty soft!" the blond informs him.

"Of course you have, you've landed upon me, you, moron!" the other snaps.

"The best landing I could ask for!" Dom giggles as he hugs him tight.

"Ouch! No, Dom, please, stop it! Seriously, I'm afraid I fractured something…" Matt warns him, concerned and aching.

"Aawww, my poor, dear, sore Matty." Dominic pretends to have pity on him, talking with high-pitched voice, as he caresses his cheek with the back of his hand. "Let me see if there is any damage…" Dom goes on as he lets his hand flow along his shirt, stop at his belt and cup his crotch softly; feeling such hardness that almost scares him.

Yeah, almost. Because it's exactly like his own hardness.

"Well, well, good for me, it seems that what I care about the most is still perfectly working!" he sneers satisfied, as Matthew changes his expression from aching to surprised and really, really pleased.

As a matter of fact, he emphasizes that with a moan.

Being careful not to hurt him for real, Dominic parts from him and lies down on the bed, resting his elbows on the mattress and turning to him.

"So, Matt, what are you going to do? Reach me here and have lots of wild fun... or stay still there, acting just like the old geezers your song talks about?" he challenges him.

After something like a quarter of second, the blond finds the brunet straddling him, totally forgetful oh his bruises, as he stares at him in a very threatening way.

"Take the hell back what you have just said!" he summons him, almost growling.

"Otherwise, what? Are you going to aim a knife at me, too?" the blond teases him, not scared at all.

"By the way, for some odd reasons that disorder me a little, I find you extremely sexy when you hold a knife." he confesses.

Matthew smiles at him and then he pouts.

"Only when I hold a knife?" he asks him.

"*Even* when you hold a knife!" the blond corrects himself. "You, silly, there are countless moments that I find you extremely sexy." he adds.

"Such as?" Matt raises his left eyebrow and smirks.

"Now!" Dominic replies as he hurls to him, switches their positions and then they kiss for the umpteenth time.

"Shirts off!" Dom exclaims when he breaks the kiss.

"What?" Matt wonders as he still looks for his soft and fleshy lips.

But Dominic doesn't please him and backs off.

The brunet growls his disappointment.

"So far we've enjoyed just the same old stuff, which is bloody good, of course. But now I guess that we're ready for next step. And next step is 'Shirt off'!" the blond explains.

"So, how does it work? Wait. We could do things this way: I take off your shirt, you take off mine, what do you think?" Matthew suggests.

"Sounds bloody good. Maybe using a knife, too?" Dominic hopefully suggests.

"What? Gee, quit talking about the bloody knife!" Matt snaps.

"But it's you who gave me the idea, it's your fault!" Dom protests. "Why not?" he asks ten seconds after.

"First, I'd like our very first time not to be that kinky. " Matthew starts, but he notices the slight bending of his partner's lips, a sign that he's about to pout. "But I promise that there will be kinkier ones, too." he adds as he winks at him, mischievously.

"Really?" Dom looks for confirmation as his eyes sparkle with joy, with the same excitement of a kid who finally gets to go to the amusement park of his dreams.

"Really!" Matthew seals his promise with a smile.

"But not tonight. Plus, I don't want to ruin our shirts." he justifies.

"Well, I don't care about mine. " Dom informs him, pointing at his very simple black shirt. After all, the bright yellow pants he matched it with are already too showy.

"But I unquestionably care about mine!" Matthew protests.

"Yours? Oh, c'mon, it's not even a shirt, it seems to be two different ones merged together!" the blond strikes back, pointing at his mate's shirt.

After all, he has some points, since it's striped in yellow and white, but in the middle it's total white.

Due to the double colours, it would fit not only with Matt's white pants, but also with said Dominic's yellow ones, but such a match would be way too eccentric!

"Yeah. That's why I care twice as much!" the brunet insists and the drummer gives in.

Before he can even realize that, Matt's hands are on him as he's busy taking his shirt off, slowly, undoing the buttons one by one, before let the fabric slip from his shoulders and fall on the carpet.

"Ok. It's my turns now!" the blond chirps, grabbing the two shirt tails.

"Can I at least rip a button off?" he wonders innocently.

"FUCK. NO!" the brunet roars, so the blond has to resort to the same slowness Matt has previously used on him, a very sensual slowness.

As soon as the brunet's shirt reaches the blond's one on the carpet, they stare at each other for a while without a word, before starting to reciprocally explore their bared, smooth and well toned chests with kisses, caresses, tiny bites, scratches and more.

"Alright, we're also done with step number two, which was fucking good, for the record!" Dom smiles. "So, now, what are we gonna do?" he wonders.

"Well, Dom, I don't know how you have done * that* until now, but unless you have an electric drill inside your boxer it would be very useful to take off our pants, too!" Matt chuckles.

"You, idiot! You know what I mean. How does it work between us? Who... who drives?" he points out.

"We're not in a car!" Matt contests.

"Oh, c'mon! Who… who takes the command?" Dom tries again, snorting.

"We're not in the army!" Matt clarifies with a snicker.

"Who... who conducts it all?" Dom asks him as he's running out of patience.

"We're not in an Orchestra!" the brunet strikes back, more and more amused.

"Damn you, Bells, if you don't stop being a moron, I'll give myself the answer on my own and I'll take the initiative, whatever you agree or not!" the blond threatens him.

"Oh, my god! Why am I finding this eventuality so bloody arousing?" Matthew confesses in awe.

"Elementary, Bellamy. It's because, at the very end, you want me to take you first and your previous remark about the electric drill reveals that!" Dominic figures out.

"I guess you're right." Matthew mumbles. "Anyway, I was supposed to play Sherlock Holmes, wasn't I?" he remarks immediately after, acting bothered.

"Oh, shut up!" Dom strikes back.

"Make me!" the brunet teases him, with a clear invitation in his words and especially in his eyes.

And Dom does nothing but please him as he takes possession of his lips with a slow and sensual kiss.

Without breaking the kiss, Matthew feels Dominic deal with his belt, until he manages to get it free from the loops.

"Well, well. I guess you're about to take me." Matt smiles.

"Wrong answer." Dom shakes his head.

"Uh?" the brunet frowns.

"Think about it. If you're at a Fun-Fair, no matter how much you enjoy the funniest merry-go-round there, you'd better not disdain the other ones, either. Right?" Dom explains, raising his left eyebrow.

Matt stares at him more dumbfounded than before.

"So, do you want to go to a Fun-Fair? Why? I thought we were having fun here…" he protests.

"Gee, Bells, why do you never ever get what I mean?" the blond rolls his eyes.

"And why the hell do you have to always use such twisted metaphors?" the other retorts.

"So, you got it!" Dom realizes, relieved.

"Yeah, but… weren't you about to teach me something?" Matt changes topic.

"How am I supposed to teach you something that I still have to learn? We'll discover it together, bit by bit." Dom replies, lowering the zipper of Matt's pants as his partner is busy arguing with the blond's belt, which seems almost impossible to undo.

"You could always use a knife…" Dom sing-songs.

"Damn you and the bloody knife! Plus, would you really like me to use it around such a dangerous zone?" Matt makes him notice as he wins his own battle and frees his partner from his pants, his mouth watering in anticipation as he cups through the fabric the dangerous zone he talked about.

"Uh, right, no knife around there!" Dom jolts and then he looks at Matt with lust in his green-grey eyes, crawling upon him.

"Get ready, sweetie…" he murmurs, with a long lick from his belly to his chin. "This is gonna be a very long night!" he sneers as he parts his partner's legs open.

Dominic lazily wakes up, still numb, and leans out to glance at the alarm clock on Matthew's night table.

That makes him happy due to two reasons: the first one is that it's only 9:00 a.m. and since they have to take their plane in the late afternoon, it means sunrise to him.

The second reason, the most important one, is that he's in Matt's bed, beside him as he still sleeps blissfully, and that means that all what happened the night before happened for real, it wasn't just a wonderful dream.

He smiles content and puts his head back to the pillow, turning to Matthew and falling asleep again.

A bunch of hours after, when he pops his eyes open he finds Matt already awake as he sits on the bed.

"Good morning! Although I'd better say 'Good afternoon' now!" Matt smiles at him, pointing at his clock that shows it's 1:30 p.m. and then he gives him a playful kiss on the tip of his nose.

That's enough to utterly wake Dom up.

"You know, I still can't believe that it's happened for real." Matthew confesses.

"But it has. And it was..." Dom goes on

"Wonderful. Marvellous. Fantastic." the brunet ends the sentence for him.

"We absolutely gotta do that again and again!" Dom states.

"Sure we'll do!" Matt assures him.

"Maybe now?" the blond suggests, pulling back the sheets with a kick in order to bare the boxers that they both put back.

As his only answer, Matt jumps off the bed.

"I'd like that, I really do, but I can't now. Gotta pack my bags. Hey, wait a minute. Aren't you supposed to do the same?" the frontman asks him.

"I already did that yesterday. That's why I can stay. Because you want me to stay, don't you?" the drummers asks him, a little bit unsure.

"Of course, I want you to stay." the other smiles, before opening his closet and drawing out clothes, without a specific order.

All of sudden, Dom lets a snicker escapes from his lips.

Matt immediately turns to him.

"What's up?"

"Nothing. It's just that I was thinking… we can really say the last night we played with our 'Supermassive Black Holes'!" the blond answers, singing the last part and even improvising a little dance.

"First, you sang. Please, never do that again!" Matt summons him.

"Second. Gee, thanks for the picture. From now on I won't be able to sing it anymore with the same innocence!" he goes on.

"You have never been innocent!" Dom smirks.

"Touché!" the other sneers and shrugs and then he walks to the other room, in order to take his suitcase.

Well, it's not technically his. He sighs unhappily as he thinks of his beloved bright pink trolley, still in Dominic's clutches.

He draws out from a pocket of the suitcase a white and pink agenda, taking the key to open the kitten muzzle shaped padlock, with a tied ribbon on its head. The same little kitten is printed on every page of the agenda and it's on the top of the white and pink pen attached to it.

It's a gift Gaia received from one of her friends, but since 'Hello Kitty' and all her world is something that the girl doesn't care about at all, that gift had remained unused for two weeks, forsaken in a drawer, until Matthew, who doesn't disdain that kind of merchandising at all, found it and decided to become its new owner, without even informing her.

So, it's also a very useful tool to take notes about the tour dates, the interviews and all the band duties, but he mainly uses it to make the countdown to the day he'll finally have his craved trolley back.

As a matter of fact, he draws a circle around the date of that day, writing down 'three journeys left'.

After gathering a few things in that room, he goes back to the bedroom, where in the meantime Dom has taken his laptop, still sitting on the bed.

Matthew lets him do as he pleases and starts folding his clothes very carefully, in order to put them in the suitcase.

As he's folding the third shirt he starts crooning and that's something pretty normal… if only the song in question wasn't 'Smile' by Lily Allen.

Dom glances at him, without saying anything, but when Matt starts singing 'Rehab' by Amy Winehouse he can't help but staring at him clearly amused.

As soon as the brunet realizes that, he immediately quits singing.

"What?" he asks him, a little awkward.

"You're just amazing, Matthew. I love you!" Dom exclaims, as naturally as possible.

Matt stares at him astonished as Dominic curses himself for still having to project that famous time machine that now would be very useful to him.

"Wha… what did you say?" the brunet wonders.

"That you're amazing." the blond pretends to be indifferent.

"No. I mean after that!"

"I said 'Matthew '. "

"Dom…"

"Uh, ok. I said 'I. You.' . No verb between!" Dom perjures.

"Oh, c'mon. I'm sure I heard what I heard." Matt insists as Dom dreads that he ruined everything with his words. "And I can't wait to hear it again." the brunet exhorts him.

"Really?"

"Sure." the singer confirms, walking towards the bed.

Dom puts the laptop on the night table in order to pay more attention to him.

"I love you. I love you. I fucking love you!" the drummer declares, before the brunet thanks him with a kiss.

Dom is the first to break it as he looks at him a little upset.

"What's wrong?" the frontman wonders in confusion.

"Aren't you supposed to tell me the same?" he makes him notice, insulted.

"Make me!" Matt challenges him and one second after he finds himself with his back on the mattress as Dom straddles him, putting his arms behind.

The brunet already knows what his mate is up to.

"Don't even try. No fucking tickle. That's not the way you're gonna get it!" he warns him in time, so the drummer changes his strategy, covering with kisses and caresses his most erogenous zones that the blond has already memorized.

And after just a couple of minutes he gets what he wants.

"I love you, Dominic. I love you, love you, looooooove yoooooooouu!" Matt moans, slave of the pleasure.

Dom doesn't waste any time and bends over him for another kiss.

As Matt is busy answering to his kiss, he glances at the laptop and gets suddenly curios.

He wants to find out what Dominic was paying so much attention to.

He parts from him, with the purpose of grabbing it, but Dom realizes his intentions and he's faster than him.

"The hell you'll find out about that!" he grumbles, closing that webpage.

Matthew snatches the laptop from his hands, sits on the bed and puts it onto his lap.

"My poor ingénue, did you ever hear about that very useful thing called *history * ?" he sneers as he goes searching the last visited pages.

"Oh, shit. I forgot that. Please, don't." Dom tries to stops him, but it's too late.

"Uhmm. www dot dare-to-wear-it dot com , let's see what's about." he mumbles, clicking on the link to open it.

After some seconds the screen is covered by tons of very colourful and showy items, both clothes and accessories, with the relative link in order to purchase them.

"Fuck. This is crazy!" Matt exclaims, before his eyes fall on the cart. "Well, well, there's one item. Let's see what you bought." he smiles.

"Don't." the blond weakly protests, but Matt ignores him, keeps him off the laptop and then clicks on the cart.

"I should have known better. Those things couldn't be from a normal store!" he states, pointing at the bright pink socks on the screen.

"You know. I needed another pair. Just in case." a very embarrassed Dom justifies, before taking the laptop and turning it off, deleting the history this time.

"It's useless. By know I remember the name of that site!" Matt warns him. "You know, I'm very angry with you." he adds, glaring at him.

"C'mon, Matt, it's such a silly thing. I know that site is stupid, I should have never seen it, it's just that I wanted…" the blond tries to justify.

"I'm angry with you because you haven't told me about that site before! It's bloody cool!" Matthew cuts him off.

"What? Do you… do you mean that you like it?" Dom asks him astonished.

"I adore it! And I've already seen at least ten items that I absolutely gotta buy!" the brunet informs him, as enthused as never.

Dominic smiles at him, before making an important question, as he already daydreams about all the enjoyable consequences.

"Well, Matt, are the hot pink boxers one of those ten items?"

TBC

Well, there's a lot to say about this chapter...

- See? I dressed them up (just like they were two dolls, lol!) for their first time, too. For the record, I just love that shirt of Matt's, it's my second favourite one.

And I love Dom's pants, too. Yellow is my favourite colour, after all.

www dot microcuts dot net / gallery / data / media / 109 / matt4 dot jpg

and

www dot i104 dot photobucket dot com / albums / m192 / jojo049 / Muse / mattanddomgay dot jpg

About the songs 'this Matthew' crooned, I don't remember where, but I read that he admires these two artists very much ;)

And this is this Matthew's agenda (lol, I'm crazy!):

www dot hellokittymania dot net / wp-content / uploads / diario-segreto-di-hello-kitty. jpg

About Dom, I bet you already know, but those socks exist for real .. too bad I can't find the pic anymore! :(

As always, I hope you enjoyed that, but feel free to tell me anything, really!


	14. XIV: Huey, Dewey and… Goofy

Sorry for late!

Well, this chapter surely doesn't help develop the plot… supposing that there is a plot!

It's the most stupid, demented chapter I've written so far, that's why I hope you'll find it as funny as possible!

But mostly, among all the stories I've written so far, I think that this is the best title I have ever found for a chapter and I'm kinda proud of that, lol!

Chapter XIV: Huey, Dewey and… Goofy.

As punctual as a Swiss watch, even more than that, Muse arrive to the airport, ready to take the flight to Chicago.

In order to will the time away, Chris has sneaked in a bookstore and after wandering for a quarter of an hour he seems to have found what he was looking for.

As a matter of fact, with a lot of interest, he flips though a book named '101 ways to understand a woman. And yet they won't be enough!'

Obviously, he still has to make his Kelly forgive him after their last phone call and he still keeps ignoring why, of course.

Dominic has taken company to him, but just because of the simple reason that the store is full of mirrors, too.

After trying unsuccessfully to mirror himself in the windowpane with the schedule of all the flights, he has just given in, searching for an easier and more comfortable way.

Matthew hasn't followed them, in order to look after their suitcases, mostly because a certain one of them needs extreme surveillance.

Yeah, because if on the one hand he's happy because of the fact that Dominic this time hasn't mistreated his trolley running madly with it everyway, on the other hand it seems that now the blond's utter indifference towards it is even more damaging.

As a matter of fact, he has seen him forsake the trolley in an undefined point of the airport in order to follow Chris.

Instinctively, the frontman has rushed over the eccentric object, with the same mental alertness of a Baywatch lifeguard rushing over a beautiful woman who is about to drawn.

And after that so heroic 'rescue', Matthew has kept his protégé safe with the other baggage.

Plus, the temporary absence of his friends lets Matt have the privacy he needs.

Taking advantage of that, Matthew sits on the floor, next to his trolley, almost staring into his eyes… if only trolley had eyes!

"Oh, my poor Pinkie, you seem to be so frustrated. I bet Dom isn't taking good care of you, is he? He doesn't feed you, right? He doesn't take you out for your daily walk. He doesn't play with you anymore and he never sings a song to you… well, on second thought, you should be glad for the last point!" Matthew comments in what is supposed to be just and only a monologue, but not for him, evidently.

Confirming that, he also pats affectionately his trolley, almost as if he wanted to comfort him.

"C'mon, Pinkie, hold on. It's just three more journeys to go, and then you'll come back to me. We're going to celebrate pwoperly. I'll buy you a new set of wheels, golden ones! Plus, I'll cover you with glitter, you'll look so wonderful with that! I'm already thinking about covering also one of my guitars with glitter, maybe the one who will behave in the best way. And, to be honest, I'm thinking about covering even myself with glitter. It sounds so tempting!" Matthew confesses.

"Yep. I agree. Glitter sounds so damn exciting!" Dom states, behind his back, lowering his sunglasses in order to look better at him.

Matthew jolts and gets up abruptly as he tries to deny the obvious, but he knows that there's nothing left to deny.

"Gee, Dom, how long have you been listening?" he asks him awkwardly.

"Long enough to establish that you're even crazier than I thought!" the blond chuckles.

"Hello? Words coming from the guy who always talks with mirrors!" the brunet strikes back.

"I don't talk with mirrors. I talk with my reflection and my reflection happens to be a wonderful listener!" the other justifies.

"By the way, you were in a store, in front of a mirror. Since when are *only fifteen minutes* enough for you?" Matt questions him, amazed.

"You're right, it's not enough. But since the shopper gave me this, I'm ok with it!" the other replies as he shows to him the film pack silver bookmark that has an inestimable mirror effect.

"What about Chris?" the singer changes topic.

"When I left him there, he was all engrossed flipping through the pages of a book named something like '101 ways to…'"

"To do what?'" Matt cuts him off, with a mischievous look.

"No, my dear, it's not what you think. It's just to understand a woman." Dominic informs him.

"Well, I should have expected that form a guy whose main priority whenever he comes back to his wife is play scrabble!" Matt comments as he rolls his eyes, before being enlightened by a naughty thought.

"Hey, Dommeh, maybe is there in that store also a book about 101 ways to do *that* kind of stuff?" he wonders as his eyes sparkle with lust.

"Oh, C'mon, Mattie, how can you think about such things?" the drummer replies as he pretends to be annoyed. "You have me. We don't need any stupid book!" he adds fiercely.

"So, you really know 101 way to…" Matthew peers at him as he gets closer to the blonde, longing as a predator.

"Maybe even more!" Dom declares, before his mate flings himself to him for a kiss that he breaks immediately.

"No, wait. We can't do that here. Not in front of Pinkie!" Matt grumbles as he parts from Dom.

"What? Fucking news release, Matt: trolleys *don't have* fucking eyes!" Dom snaps.

"But…" it's all the other manages to say, staring at Dom, as upset as a child who has just been told that Santa Claus doesn't exist, and looking at his trolley with something that is very similar to … guilty sense.

"I can't believe I'm doing this for real!" Dom hisses as he takes off his coat and places it on the trolley, in order to cover it.

"Pinkie can't see us anymore. Is it better now?" the blond rolls his eyes.

"Very much better!" the brunet smiles.

"There's only a problem now," the other warns him. "You gotta warm me up!" he ends the sentence as he embraces himself, shivering because of the cold.

"Mm. I guess I can do that." the frontman murmurs as he hugs him from behind, before opening his coat and wrapping him inside that.

The blond moans content as he glances up in order to give him a kiss that this time he breaks first.

"Just tell me, Matt, what exactly does a trolley eat?" he asks him, amused.

"Oh, shut up!" Matt pushes him away.

"Make me!" Dom teases him as he gets closer to him again, in order to kiss him.

"Hey! You're not allowed to steal my sentences!" the brunet warns him, backing off, indignant.

"And you're not allowed to reject my kisses!" the blond orders him as he drags him to himself and smashes his lips against his, whatever he agrees or not.

And there's no need to say that Matthew does agree, a lot!

They get lost in their kiss, but not so much not to hear Chris coming from afar.

Luckily for them, he's still engrossed reading that book that by then has become a definitive purchase.

That gives Matthew and Dominic the time to part from each other and appear as nonchalant as possible, or at least try, since the best of their inventiveness makes them look at the wall, with a thoughtful attitude.

"Guys, I need your help. I don't know which to choose between 'Way number 9' and 'Way number 12', so far, and…" he exclaims , but he stops as soon as he lifts his gaze from the book and sees, but mostly listens to them.

"Yes, Matt, you're right. This wall is really ochre!" Dominic comments, as he pretends to ignore that his friend is there.

"Told you so. And it's such a horrible colour!" the other replies with the same nonchalance, as the blonde nods.

"Excuse me, what exactly are you supposed to be doing?" the bassist wonders, kind of puzzled.

"It looks obvious to me. We are just staring at the walls and commenting them!" the frontman explains calmly.

"It's a very normal daily activity!" the drummer adds.

"And why the hell did you even take off your coat?" their friend goes on with his inquisition.

"It looks obvious to me. I did it in order to concentrate better on the walls!" the blonde justifies promptly as he shrugs and put his coat back.

"You two have a very curious way to make things obvious!" Chris grumbles, more and more confused.

"Anyway guys, don't think I haven't noticed that. There's something seriously wrong with you," he adds, immediately after, as he glares deplorably at them.

Dominic and Matthew gulp as they wait for the final verdict, since they're sure that their excuse was just too lame to be believable, so Chris must have found out everything.

"I mean, c'mon, how can you say that ochre is a horrible colour? Everyone knows that it will be the main protagonist of next Summer!" he scolds them and, hidden from Chris, they both sigh with relief.

And then they all walk towards their plane.

They spend the rest of the day kinda serenely, among the take off, landing, hotel rooms and a little trip around that town but without overdoing, not to tire them too much since they have a gig the day after.

Although they have two different rooms plenty of every kind of comfort, for some strange reasons Matt and Dom have decided to share one together. Dom's one, for the record.

Since they had the flight on late afternoon, Chris hasn't taken his usual nap and they didn't get the chance to spend some time together in the proper way, so they want to make up for lost time.

They just have to never let Chris know about that, but by now they're more than expert in that field.

Plus, to share Dom's room for Matt means to get the chance to be closer to his Pinkie.

A few hours before the show begins, Muse are already at the Allstate Arena to rehearse, without caring about the fact that outside the crowd keeps inciting My Chemical Romance to get out, calling every members' name out.

Matthew unashamedly ignores those people… or maybe he doesn't, since he has *casually* decided to perform a certain song from their new album that seems to invite them to burn in hell, over and over again… for their sins.

"Hey, Chris, speaking of Hell, you haven't set up another dinner with the My Terrible Lost Chance, have you?" Matt wonders at the end of that song.

"Hey! Their name is * My Chemical Romance* and you know that!" Dom corrects him, kinda rudely.

"Phew, I know, but the name I picked up is nicer and suits them better!" Matthew protests as he shrugs.

"Anyway, Bells, don't worry, there's no dinner and you're more than free to leave after our performance!" Chris informs him.

"Good to know. " Matthew rejoices and he pours his enthusiasm into the next song they play.

"Ok, mister, what do you think you're doing?" Dominic exclaims, putting his hands on his hips with an annoyed look, as soon as he sees Matthew come in his dressing room.

"No, what do * you* think you're doing?" Matthew strikes back, mirroring both of his actions and words.

"Go change yourself!" Dom summons him.

"No, *you* go change yourself!" the other retorts.

"Fucking stop repeating my words!" the blond snaps.

"I'm not repeating them utterly. I place a 'No' at the beginning and I also emphasize the 'you' part!" the brunet points out.

"It's irritating, anyway!" the other protests.

"Why didn't you ask me before?" Matt wonders.

"Since when the bloody hell am I supposed to ask you permission to dress myself?"

"From now on, since we ended up wearing the same outfit!" Matt answers back, pointing first at his Christian Dior red jacket with white trim and then at Dominic's one which is identical, but silver with black trim.

"So? Let's wear them both!" Dom suggests.

"Sure, alright, why not? And maybe we also should make Chris wear another one in a different colour and then change the name of our band from 'Muse' to 'Huey, Dewey and Louie'!" Matt snaps and then he notices that the blonde has become thoughtful.

"What? I was too harsh, wasn't I?" Matt gets concerned.

"No, it's just that 'Huey, Dewey and Louie' doesn't sound good. It's much better 'Huey, Dewey and… Goofy'!" the drummer suggests, thrilled.

"I can't still believe that we managed to turn all this stupid stuff into a real conversation. Anyway, why just 'Huey, Dewey and…Goofy'?" the singer gets curious.

"Well, to begin with, Chris is taller than us, just like Goofy is taller than Huey and Dewey. Plus, if he hasn't figured out yet what's going on between you and me… well, he is a little dupe as Goofy is!" Dom explains and they both chuckle, but Matt becomes serious almost immediately.

"Why? What's going on between you and me?" he wonders rhetorically as he step closer to the blond, moving like a cat, before making him back off, until he gets him pinned against the wall.

"Why don't you tell me?" the blond teases him, as he has already trouble bearing that closeness without betraying himself.

"I can do much better. I'm gonna show you!" Matthew announces, before taking possession of his lips, kissing him with burning passion as their hands wander everywhere, eager to get a more satisfying contact.

It's just a matter of a bunch of seconds, before they both lower each other's zipper of their jackets.

"Hey! You don't wear anything under that!" Matt exclaims.

Contrary to Dom, he wears a white t-shirt, so tight-fitting that he seems to have bought it … not exactly in the 'Man' department of that store.

"Yeah. So, see? This is a more reason why I can wear it and you can't," Dominic states. "Unless you want me to go outside half-naked, letting the whole crowd free to stare at my exposed chest. I guess that it would please tons of girls… and maybe some guys, too!" Dominic winks at him.

"Never! Your chest belongs to me, just like the rest of your body!" Matt protests, almost growling, before covering that exposed skin with kisses, caresses, and some bites, too.

"Mm. You're kinda possessive, aren't you? I like that!" the blond stares at him suggestively as he licks his own lips.

"Don't tempt me, otherwise I could end up chaining you up!" Matt warns him as he draws little circles with his fingers around his so sensitive nipples.

"Uh! I'm liking that more and more and you should even…" the blond groans, but the brunet makes him shut up with another kiss, an almost violent one.

"Anyway, I can't get out without my jacket. It's fucking cold!" Matt complains as they both lift their zipper up.

"Wait. I have the solution!" the singer exclaims after a while, enlightened, before leaving the room.

He comes back after a minute as he holds in his hands a black shirt with blue squares printed on it which make it futuristic and three-dimensional.

"You can wear this!" he comments as he throws it to Dominic.

"Do you often bring with you extra blouses? " Dom wonders as he analyzes that garment.

"Just in case, but now it's turning very useful!" the other replies.

"Anyway, I can't wear it. See? It doesn't match at all," the drummer makes him notice, pointing at his orange pants. "Instead, it looks just perfect on you. So * you* are gonna wear it!" he goes on, as he throws it back to its owner.

And as he looks at his black jeans, Matt has to admit that Dom is right.

"Fine. I'll wear it and you can keep on the bloody jacket," the singer gives in, taking off his red jacket and putting on the black and blue blouse. "Why the bloody hell do you always win?" he snaps a second after.

"Because you love me and would do anything for me, wouldn't you?" the other strikes back, making him smile.

"That's true," Matthew whispers as he gets closer to him. "So, do you really think that Huey and Dewey love each other?" he wonders, as he plays with his blond hair.

"Of course they do. Do you have the slightest idea of how many times they have their fun during every camp meeting of the Junior Woodchucks? And Louie knows that and helps them hide that secret from everyone, although Donald Duck starts getting suspicious." Dom informs him, before they both burst out laughing madly.

"Gee, I hope that every kid will never ever hear about this very twisted, immoral and incestuous version of the Disney World!" Matt comments between laughs.

"Yeah. This is even worse than what we did to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson!" Dominic adds, amused as well.

In that exact moment Chris bursts into the room as he raises up the famous book he bought at the airport, with a victory smile.

"I succeeded! Kelly and I made it up and now she is in love with me more than ever! Way Number 85 was bloody perfect," the bassist cheers. "Hey, why are you so amused?" he asks them immediately after.

"For no specific reasons. You know us, don't you? We were just mucking around and acting stupid, as always!" Matt shrugs.

"Yeah. Stupid me for asking. C'mon guy, let's just go, it's about time to make the show start!" the youngest guy states.

"As you wish… *Goofy*!" Dominic answers back as both he and Matt burst out laughing again, before leaving the room.

Goofy? Chris repeats in his mind, dumbfound, as he scratches his head in confusion.

Deep down, maybe Matthew and Dominic have a point.

TBC

Yes, I know, I know, poor Chris, I'm so terrible with him.

Well, on second thought, it's not that I treat Dom and Matt any better… lol!

Speaking of the two lovebirds… picture's time again. Anyway... who doesn't know those amazing jackets?

Matt:

www dot microcuts dot net / gallery / data / media /203 /409724870_e995409d90_o dot jpg

www dot microcuts dot net / gallery / data / media / 123 / matt_et_dom2 dot png

Dom:

www dot / i86 dot photobucket dot com / albums / k93 / angellouise_2006/mypictures002 dot jpg

www dot / i129 dot photobucket dot com / albums / p214 / jeffstrodl / lglp1069 dot jpg

And last but not the least, the very lovely Matt's black and blue blouse (for the record, my favourite outfit of his, the one I love the most! He also wears it in 'Plug-in Baby' video , a reasons more why to love that video!) :

.com/manual/intl/warner/2009/GB1300901300_640x480_

.4/41788_112801258749927_9066_

As always, I hope you had fun reading this delirium. Feel free to tell me anything, really! Pleeeease, I need to know…

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE!


	15. XV: Please, Please, Please

Hello, sorry for late.

Is anyone still reading this story? I hope so ^^

Summary of the chapter: Never deprive our beloved guys of their private flight. NEVER! The consequences could be terrifying…

Chapter XV: Please, Please, Please…

"Matt…" Dom murmurs almost in a whisper, but a soft, nearly imperceptible snoring is the only answer he gets.

"Matthew…" Dom gives another try as he leans forward to him in order to squeeze his hips affectionately.

Matthew mumbles something, apparently pleased, but still deeply asleep, so much that he pulls the covers up, until he buries himself inside them.

But Dominic never gives up so easily.

As a matter of fact, he pulls the covers down and straddles him as he caresses his hair.

"Oh, c'mon, Mattie, don't be a baby, it's time to rise and shine." he whispers in his ear, nibbling his lobe.

As a result, Matthew doesn't even attempt to open half an eye. He grumbles something, kicks him away and in the try to turn to the other side, not before taking the covers back, he also pushes an elbow into the blond's stomach.

A little bit in pain, but still not defeated, Dominic decides that good manners won't take him anywhere.

"MATTHEW JAMES BELLAMY, GET YOUR FUCKING ASS OFF THIS FUCKING BED FUCKING NOW!" Dom snaps in what could be properly called a roar. After all, his hair already reminds of a lion's mane.

The effect is immediate: Matthew abruptly wakes up yelling and in his recoiling he even hits the edge of the bed with his head.

"What the fuck? How? Why?" he grumbles in a spin, as he massages his aching head and takes a look around, until his still slumbering senses focus on the cause of his awakening, who is smiling at him, waving his hand.

Too bad that Matthew is anything but smiling.

As a matter of fact, he stares at him in such an icy way that he could freeze even an erupting volcano.

"You!" he hisses.

Dominic starts seriously fearing that look and he prudently backs off until his back hits the edge of the bed on the other side.

"Matt… Matthew, dear, don't you remember? Since we gotta take the plane pretty early, you asked me … you asked me to wake you up and… and that's what I've just done!" the blond justifies among the nervous stuttering, as he finds again the courage to face that look that is still as icy as before.

"But you weren't fucking supposed to fucking wake me up like that!" Matt blames him, as he inspects in his mind all the hats he could wear in order to cover the bump that is about to pop out from his head.

"I didn't mean to resort to that, but I had never dealt with such an _unawakable_ person so far!" the other strikes back.

"That's not even a word!" the brunette protests.

"I don't care, that's what you are!" the drummer insists. "So, now that you're finally awake and everything is okay we can make love again, can we, mm?" he suggests the second after with a silky voice, as he gets closer to Matt again.

"Dominic! It's bloody six in the morning! I can't love anyone at this time of day. A bed is all I desire!" the frontman grumbles.

"With me inside of it?" Dominic hazards.

"Hell no! Just an empty bed to sleep!" the other points out as he tries to lie down again and bury himself under the covers, but Dom realizes his intentions, so he snatches the covers from his hands and lifts him by brute force, turning him with his stomach on the mattress.

"Don't you even try, Bells! Now you're up and I'm gonna do whatever it takes not to make you fall asleep again, even if that means to keep riding you savagely nonstop!" the blond warns him as he straddles his back.

And it's enough a tiny contact with a certain part of his blond partner's body to make Matthew realise that he satisfies all the requirements to do that for real.

There's no need to say that for him this is more effective than forty alarm clocks ringing at the same time!

"Mm… sounds so tempting." he murmurs contently, arching his back against his pelvis in order to propel him, although they both still wear boxers and t-shirts.

"Let's fall into temptation, then!" the other exclaims, ready to pull down both his and his partner's boxers, but he is forced to abandon that luxurious plan, since they hear someone knock at the door.

"Dom, it's me, open the door, it's an emergency!" Chris calls him out as he keeps knocking.

Matt and Dom instantly get up, with the same stock phrase.

"Shit!"

"It's Chris, he's here, I can't escape, I can't hide, I can't even stay outside the window, since it's seventh floor, I can't…"

"And I can't listen to you a second more! Shut up, Bells! Ok, Chris is here, so what? We have all the time to decide what to do. After all you locked the door yesterday, didn't you?" Dom reminds to him, calmly.

"You're right. No… wait. *You* locked the door, didn't you? Tell me you did!" Matthew looks at him terrified.

"Shit!" they exclaim in unison, again.

"Wait, Chris, I'm coming, don't…" Dom warns him.

- Please, please, please, don't let him open the door!- he implores his lucky stars as he walks towards the door and Matt looks for any way to escape, anything but hiding inside a cupboard, since he's so agitated that he might have a claustrophobic attack, although he has never suffered from it before.

It seems that Dominic's lucky stars have something better to do than listen to their protégé, since Chris manages to open the door on his own, pulling the handle down.

"Dom, I'm in, you know, the door was already open." Chris announces as he heads towards the bedroom, as Dom has already turned around, coming back to Matt.

- Please, please, please, make him invisible!- the blond goes on with his absurd requests, already aware that if his lucky stars didn't help him with the first very attainable wish, they surely won't help him with his second, more than impossible, one.

- Uhmm, maybe I could climb on the roof and stay stuck there until Chris goes away, hoping that he never looks above. Uh! Too bad that there's only a little, very irrelevant problem: I. Am. *Not*. Spiderman. Damn! I've seen those movies too many times. By the way, the sequel is coming soon. No, Matt, what the hell are you doing? This is not the proper time to think about that. Mm, I should ask Dom to wear that costume next time we… Bloody hell, no, it's not even the fucking time to think about that either!- Matt scolds himself, taking his mind off that exciting eventuality.

After all Dom and he have no more time to think, since Chris is about to reach them.

Matt lies down on the floor, looking under the bed, as if he was searching for something.

"Here you are, finally, I wondered where the hell you were disappeared! Anyway, damn, what are you doing here?" Chris asks him, puzzled.

"No, they're not even here!" Matt states as he gets up, nonchalantly.

"Oh, Chris, you're here. Why?" he pretends to notice him.

"What the bloody hell are *you* doing here?" Chris asks him again.

"Ask him what I'm doing here!" Matt snaps, pointing angrily at Dom.

Instead, Dom begs him with his eyes, with a 'Please-please-please-don't-let-him-ask-me-because-I- don't- really-know-what-I'm-supposed-to-answer!' look.

"I'll tell you what. Mr. Fun here had the brilliant idea of hiding in his room my white braces and I can't find them anywhere and I need to wear them!" Matt explains, pretending to lose his patience.

"Let me see if I got it straight. You want to wear those bloody braces just this bloody morning at *six o' clock*!" Chris sums up, staring at Matt in disbelief.

"Yep, why not?" he nods.

"And you had nothing better to do than sneak through his room, steal his braces and hide them in this room." Chris goes on, staring at Dom in disbelief.

"Well, you know I like stupid jokes!" the blond shrugs.

Chris thinks about it for a while, but then he reminds to himself that he's talking with Matthew 'Oddness-is-my-second-name' Bellamy and Dominic 'I'll-never-ever-grow-up' Howard, so… everything fits in.

"You two will never change!" Chris rolls his eyes as he shakes his head in resignation.

"Actually… in a certain sense we did." Dom mumbles softly.

"What?" Chris wonders.

"Never mind!" Matt answers for him, kicking Dom's ankle from behind.

"Anyway, now it's our turn to ask questions: what the hell are you doing here at this time?" Matt wonders.

"Tom has just called me. It seems that there are some troubles with the private flight. I'm waiting for his confirmation." he announces and with an astonishing timing Chris' mobile starts ringing as the written 'Tom calling' blinks on the display.

"Tell me, Tom!" Chris exhorts him as he switches on the speaker phone in order to make all them hear him.

"Unfortunately it's confirmed. You can't have the private flight, so…"

"Oh-no-it's-a-tragedy-we'll-miss-the-show-we'll-let-our-fans-down-they-all-will-be-pissed-off-and-the'll-spread-the-word-so-we'll-lose-every-single-fan-in-the-whole-world-and-the-Warner-will-kick-our-asses-and…" Matthew gets alarmed as he utterly forgets the importance of breathing and pausing sometimes.

"Shit, Matt, are you bloody done?" Tom snaps.

"Not yet. So we'll lose our job, all our gigs, then we'll lose all our money and the only crowd I'll be able to play my guitar for will be the people on the subway, where I'll end up performing for money!" Matt goes on, slower, but not less agitated, of course.

Tom keeps solemnly silent for a while.

"Now I'm done." Matthew informs him.

"I've never heard so much crap all at once! Please, now do a favour to the whole Universe and SHUT THE FUCKING HELL UP!" his manager flies into rage. "You won't miss a bloody anything. I've already booked another flight for you, it's just that it's not your private airplane, but…"

"NO PRIVATE AIRPLANE? So, I won't have my pink velvet seat, I won't have my very restocked mini-bar, I won't have my mirror collections from all over the world, my DVD collection of fashion shows, my…" Dominic gets alarmed.

"Chris, do you think that you can kill them both and then perform all alone from now on?" Tom wants to ascertain, exasperated.

"I can do much better. Do you want to hurt them really bad? Just leave Matt without bananas and Dom without hairspray!" Chris chuckles and then he stares threateningly at the other two.

Matthew turns pale and doesn't give out a sound. That proves how shocked he is.

"No, please, you… you wouldn't dare… would you? You have no idea of what humidity can do to my poor hair! I'll be good, I promise, I won't complain anymore. I'll even accept to… to fly with…" Dom assures, before gulping down heavily. "… a low cost company!" he concludes, horrified.

"Wait a minute. A low cost company? NO WAY! I must have my free drinks, the hostesses bring along the airport trolley with the things to buy just once, do you understand? * Only once*! Plus, I must have all the magazines and…" Chris starts getting alarmed.

"Ok, I made my decision. I'm gonna kill you all and then * I* will perform on my own!" Tom declares, more and more exasperated. "Anyway, calm down, all of you. It's a normal flight, first class, you can make it through. I want you to be at airport in two hours for the check in, end of that speech!" the manager summons them.

"One last thing before I go. Have you already started to think about what you want for the Wembley show? I know that there's still time for it, but we'd better hurry up with the setting." Tom explains.

"Uhmm. Actually I was thinking about something pretty simple. I don't know… Chris, Dom and I flying on some kind of space skateboards, or playing inside a circle of fire, or surrounded by water falls, or with platforms that keep spreading coloured lights from the stage… or even better, all those things put together!" Matthew suggests.

"Please, please, please, tell me that you're kidding!" Chris looks at him with begging eyes.

"Does he look like someone who's kidding? Oh, Bells, you're such a genius, that's so cool!" Dominic rejoices.

"Tell me you didn't hear them!" Chris rolls his eyes as he talks with Tom.

"I'll pretend I didn't. Ok, guys, I guess that you still have to think about that seriously… *a lot*!" Tom states, before a girl calls him from afar.

"Hey, Tommy, come here, the Jacuzzi is ready!"

"Uh, gotta go. Just take the bloody airplane and… bye!" Tom hangs up abruptly, leaving them with a halo of mystery.

Chris takes all their mind off.

"Hey, speaking of Wembley, guess what?"

"What?" Dom wonders.

"Your dear friends, the My Chemical Romance, will be one of our supporter bands, it's official! See? There's a role reversal!" the bassist announces, turning to Matt.

"Oh, that's great! I really wish they will be the first ones to perform!" the frontman comments.

"So, you want them to get all the attentions since they are the first ones, don't you? Oh, that's so nice from you!" Chris smiles.

"No way! I want them to be the very first ones because hopefully, if London gives us a rare but extremely hot sunny day, they'll get the hottest hour to perform, so they'll probably melt down on the stage. And since they always wear black outfits, well, it would be delightedly worse!" Matthew sneers evilly.

"Never mind!" Chris rolls his eyes and Dom can't help mirroring his friend's action.

Obeying to their manager's impositions, Muse arrives at Chicago Airport on about 8:00 a.m., ready to do the check in.

In order not to make Chris suspicious, Matt had to wore those white braces for real, without even caring about the clothes he matched them with… which is a very grisly, way too colourful, jumble.

Lucky for them, there's not a big request for that flight, so the short queue flows pretty quickly.

At least it was like that until their turn arrives.

Chris boards his baggage first, then Matthew does the same… and normality still rules.

But when it's Dom's turn to board his baggage, something changes.

"That one, too, Sir!" the hostess warns him as she points at the hot pink trolley.

"Oh, sure!" Dom answers, as he gets ready to board even that one.

"Wait. What the bloody hell are you doing?" Matt intervenes.

"He's boarding it, Sir!" the hostess replies warmly.

"No way! Stop it!" Matthew tries to prevent it, but it's too late and his trolley is already on the conveyor belt, where it's taken, weighted and put down with the other baggage.

"I'm sorry, but it's too big!" the girl explains patiently.

"Yeah, I admit that he got a little fatter, but, you know, when you travel all around the world, making very short stops, you keep eating bad stuff at the wrong time of day, so…"

"You're kidding, Sir, right?" the hostess wonders as he stares at him in disbelief. And judging by his outfit, the girl has some point in thinking that that guy doesn't boast such a great mental health.

"Why? What did I say wrong? Anyway, I repeat, you can't board him. He's not very friendly and crowded places scares the hell out of him. It was already hard for him when I had to board him in Italy." Matt goes on.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Sir?" the hostess snaps, bothered.

"No, I think you're heartless! Pinkie doesn't deserve that!" Matt strikes back, as he starts whimpering.

Dominic comes promptly to help him.

"Please, be kind, Miss Check-In…"

"Look, Sir, I have got a name!" the girl points out, showing him her badge, kinda rudely.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Anyway, please, can you turn a blind eye for once?" he goes on, resorting to his lethal pout… but that seems to have no effects on her.

"After all, you know who we are, don't you?" he adds.

"I haven't the slightest idea, but I start believing that he's someone who has just escaped from a madhouse !" she answers, pointing at Matt who is staring melancholy at his trolley, 'trapped' at the other side with all the other baggage.

"WHAT? Don't you know us? Really? Don't you know the band *I* play in?" Dominic wonders astonished.

"I really don't. Maybe it's not the kind of music I listen to, so…" the girl justifies.

"It's not a fucking matter of music. It's about me, me, ME! C'mon, how can it be that you don't know me? Everyone does. Plus, this summer, in the middle of June, we'll step into History, *I* will step into History, you can't miss that. Lucky for you, there are still some months left, you can still manage to know us good and proper, but you must hurry up!" the blond urges her.

"Ok, I guess it's * two people* who escaped from a madhouse!" the hostess grumbles as she rolls her eyes, before realising that the first 'fugitive' is behind her.

"What the hell are you doing?" the girl questions him, as her patience runs out.

"I'm bringing him with me. Period." Matt insists, dragging the trolley away with him until he reaches Dominic.

"To begin with, I still don't understand why you care about it so bad, since it's his trolley, not yours!" the hostess comments.

"This is a long story and I don't want to tell you." Matt strikes back, giving the trolley back to Dom.

"Anyway, I've already told you that YOU CAN'T! It's too big. It doesn't fit in the overhead compartment!" the girl insists, increasing the volume of her voice.

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK! Just make the fucking overhead compartments fucking bigger!" Matthew yells back, at the edge of hysteria… or maybe he has already crossed that edge.

Before things get even worse, Chris intercedes.

"You two, leave me alone with her, now!" he exclaims, turning to his friends who leave with their precious trolley.

"Hey! Stop, you two, you can't take it." the hostess attempts to protest, but Chris cuts her off as he places a finger on her mouth.

"Shh. Let them go…" he murmurs silkily, as he leans on the counter in order to read her badge.

"I'm sure that we can find an agreement, can't we, Gabrielle?" he goes on, showing her his best piercing look.

She immediately liked Chris, mostly because he was the only one of that trio to do the boarding without complaining. But now that she is observing him better, and she also must add the way he said her name, those piercing dark eyes that are starting intently at her make her legs weak. That half smile, but mostly the extreme virility that seems to overwhelm every single cell of that man turns that beginning liking into something more that is messing around with her hormones.

"I… I guess we can." she meows, charmed.

Anyway, Chris is not done yet with his persuasive trial. The guy draws out of his wallet two banknotes of 100,00$.

"First, let my friend board that damn trolley…" he suggests her, as he elongates the first banknote to the girl.

"Second, make also my other friend happy. I'll tell you what: go to him and tell him that you were confused, but now you recognized us. By the way, the name of our band is Muse. Plus, add that your favourite songs are 'Plug in Baby', 'Stockholm Syndrome' and 'Knights of Cydonia', especially for the things he does with the drums!" Chris goes on, elongating even the second banknote to her.

"You know, if you ask me this way, I could almost do that for free." she admits.

"Oh, really?" he wonders, as he's about to take his money back, but she's quicker than him and pockets them.

"I said *almost*. After all 200 bucks are 200 bucks!" she explains, making him smile.

"So, the blondie is the drummer, isn't he? Instead, the other one, the ugly pixie, strikes me as someone who plays something short and pretty useless, such as the squeeze box, the tambourine or the triangle. About you… well, you must be the frontman, am I right?" the girl smiles at him.

"Hell no, you're totally wrong, but thanks anyway. Actually, the one you called 'ugly pixie' happens to be the frontman. About me, well, I'm the bassist." he reveals.

"Well, if they are all like you, bassists surely are the sexiest men on the whole Planet!" she meows languidly.

"You know, I could marry you just for the things you say." Chris smiles at her, plus he has to admit that she is a beautiful girl, too.

Anyway, as punctual as implacable, almost as if it wanted to remind to him that he has already got a wife, a lovely wife, for the record, his mobile starts ringing. There's no need to say who is calling him.

"Kelly, luv, of course I was thinking about you, you know I always do." Chris answers as he goes temporary away, as the hostess watch him leave disillusioned, envying the lucky woman he's telling those sweet things to, and then she decided to fulfil his very well paid requests, looking for his friends.

It's pretty easy to figure out that since they started their boarding, just five minutes after the company has opened another counter service, in order to allow the rest of the queue to flow without any troubles.

When he ends his phone call, Chris comes back to the hostess who enjoys the amazing sight of him for the last time.

"You know, there's something I absolutely have to tell you."

The girl already daydreams about speeches involving instant and mutual crushes, declarations of love, romantic and crazy love escapes…

"Coming from behind I couldn't help noticing your bag," he admits, pointing at the white crochet-hook bag on a shelf under the counter. "Did you make it on your own?"

The girl almost fears to answer to that odd question.

"Ye… yes. Why?" she asks him as she sees all her romantic fantasies shatter mercilessly.

"Gee! You're so good! You know, I'm also trying to make something on my own, but I'm going to reach a point where things get harder. So, please, please, please, could I turn to you if I needed help with it?" he asks her, as calm as possible.

The hostess stares at him between disbelief and shock as she sees his so manly 'macho' attitude fade away.

And it was the last straw.

"You have ten seconds to get the hell out of here, before I change my mind, catch you and your damn crazy friends, put you inside that fucking trolley- don't ask me how, I just know I would manage to do that – and send you far away to the most secluded place on this Earth with a one-way ticket!" she snaps as she glares at him.

So, Chris has no other choice than disappear as fast as possible and reach the others as he walks away kinda puzzled.

- What the bloody hell did I say wrong? Uhmm, maybe I'd better read again that 101 ways book.-

TBC

Ok, a little question for you: among Matt, Dom and Chris whom do you think I'm 'cruellest' with? ;P

I had a lot of fun writing this crazy and kinda long chapter, I hope you'll have fun reading it.

If you take your time to leave me a comment (even a word!) it would make my day, but thanks anyway.

See ya at next chapter where something is gonna happen, but my lips are sealed!


	16. XVI: So, it was just that

Well, girls, if you like Chris, in this chapter he plays a very big role! ;)

Summary of the chapter: It's time for Matt and Dom to tell Chris the truth…

Chapter XVI: So, It Was Just That!

It's hard to believe, but in the end Muse manages to take that airplane for real and land in Denver without any other trouble.

The trio doesn't waste any time and they head immediately to their hotel.

That journey has tired them very much, but luckily for them there's no gigs on that day, they just have to pay a little visit to the place where they're gonna play the day after to set the last things about their show.

And this is something they can face perfectly, after a bunch of precious, very precious hours of sleep.

In order to don't make Chris suspicious again, but mostly to not 'distract' each other and rest for real, Dominic and Matthew stay in their respective rooms.

"For the last time, Bells, NO!" Chris insists.

"But why?" Matthew protests, with an attitude that is very similar to a spoiled kid's one.

"Because we can't do anything too big in this tour." the bassist patiently reminds to him.

"But the My Terrible…" Matthew protests again, but he stops when he realizes that Dominic is glaring at him.

"The My Chemical Romance," he corrects himself, very laboriously. "They can!" he concludes, with the same spoiled attitude.

"Of course they can. They are the headliner, so they can have all the big overtures they please!"

"So, does it mean that they can start their show with a ridiculous, gothic and gloomy float and I can't?"

"Nope, Matt. Why? Do you want to start the show with a ridiculous, gothic and gloomy float, too?" Chris asks him teasingly.

"That's not the bloody point! It's just that it's not fair!" the brunette grumbles.

"Anyway, the thing you can keep calling a ridiculous, gothic and glooming float actually has a proper meaning, since it's their personal representation of Death, which they see as a Black Parade, indeed. To be honest, the whole story is much more complicated, it involves a kind of evil spirit or something like that," Dominic informs them, but he immediately notices how dumbfounded they're staring at him. "What?" he asks them.

"Dom, how can it be that you always know so damn much about that band?" Matthew questions him, as he stares at him suspiciously.

"Well… I mean, it's stuff that you end up knowing, whatever you care or not! C'mon, guys, have you searched around the web lately?" Dom justifies, shrugging as if nothing significant happened.

Truth is that Dominic happens to like the My Chemical Romance for real, so much that he searched around the web in order to know more about them.

Yeah, of course, since he's touring with them and he sees them almost every day, he could talk directly with them … but how is he ever supposed to do such a thing when he perfectly knows that his boyfriend can't stand them at all?

That's why he also hopes that Matt will never ever take a hold of his I-pod and see his playlist, because among the tons of songs he would even find the whole band's discography, with b-sides, rare demo and live performances, too.

It seems that his fears remain unfounded, because Matthew believes his word, as he warmly smiles at him.

"So, Chris, did you hear him? They chose something related to a song of theirs to start the show. I want to do the same! Let's choose 'Starlight', so we can go on stage with a ship!" Matthew suggests overexcited as he already can picture the whole thing in his head.

"First, how the bloody flaming hell are we supposed to go on stage… with a ship? By the way, stop talking about your fucking stupid ships, I'm sick of that!" Chris snaps, so bitterly that Matt gets scared and he's almost tempted to hide behind the sofa they're sitting on.

"Second, the float is related not only to one of their songs, but basically to their whole last album. So, if you really wanted to do the same, we would have to choose something related to Black Holes and the Revelations," Chris explains to him, calmer. "It would be ok for the Black Holes; we could use some astronomy documentaries and stuff like that. But how the hell are we be supposed to symbolize the Revelations?" he adds.

Matt and Dom exchange a look that makes them both realize that they are daydreaming about the same thing, i.e. them kissing without any shames in the middle of a gig, in front of thousands of stunned eyes.

That would be the damn queen of Revelations!

"Yeah, Chris, you're right. It's just impossible. So, never mind!" Matthew pretends to acknowledge, as Dominic has to try his best not to burst out laughing.

"Coming back to the positions, are we gonna use the same ones tomorrow? Chris on the right, you on the left and me behind in the middle, on top?" Dom wonders and Matt nods.

"By the way, why is Dom always on top?" Chris wonders.

- Because he deserves to be put on a pedestal where I can relentlessly adore him! - is the answer that Matt is almost about to give him, but then he recovers enough to make it remain just and only a thought.

"Just because. This way he is more impressing! So, if I can't have a showy overture in this tour, at least I can always have a showy drummer!" he answers as he winks at the showy drummer in question.

The morning after Matthew is awaken up by a persistent knocking, but it's a very particular knocking, because as one hand has a specific rhythm, the other one does something different.

That little detail is enough to make him figure out who it is, so he rushes towards the door.

"Let's get over with that, Matthew! I can't take this anymore!" Dominic exclaims as he gets in and closes the door behind his back.

Hearing those words, Matthew falls into a kind of catatonia.

"Wha... why? I... I thought we were fine together. More than fine, it felt so good. So why now, out of the blue, you wa... you want to... brea…" the brunette stutters, as motionless as a statue

"What? Oh, God, no, Mattie, hell no. I don't wanna break up with you and surely I never will!" Dominic reassures him as he hugs him tight.

"Well, choose another sentence to say, then, because 'let's get over with that' is the worst one ever!" Matthew strikes back, as he recovers and regains the capability to move, which he uses in order to hug the blond back.

"I meant, let's get over with the hiding..." Dom starts clarifying.

"Dammit! Are you going to tell the truth to the girls? Already? But I'm not ready, yet… and neither should you!" Matt gets agitated as he starts talking abnormally fast and he is about to fall into another shocked state.

"Gee, Matt, it seems that I can't tell you anything today! If only you let me finish my sentences sometimes!" the blond rolls his eyes.

"I just know that today every sentence of yours is nearly killing me!" Matt strikes back, still a little bit traumatized.

"No way we're gonna tell the girls, it's still too soon and I'd like to extend my life as long as possible," Dominic comments, visibly concerned. "But we're gonna tell Chris, I guess it's time!" he concludes.

"So, it was just that!" Matthew sighs with relief. "You're right. I also guess it's time. Poor dear, he deserves to be the first one to know," the brunette agrees. "Plus, after telling him, we will be free to share a room together!" he adds.

"Yep, this is one of the main reasons why. I missed you so bad last night." Dom murmurs, as he stares at him languidly.

"I missed you, too. Anyway, now we have some free time all alone, there's a bed… do I need to say more?" Matthew invites him as he lies down on the mattress.

Dom doesn't need any other urging.

********************************** (In the meantime)

Although it's only ten 'o clock in the morning, Chris is already up, in order to dedicate himself to a hobby that makes him relax pretty much: the crocket-hook.

For the record, he's working on a project as particular as ambitious, because generally when people start learning something they start from the easiest stuff, but not Chris. He never takes the easy way, simple things just bore the hell out of him.

That's why he decided to start directly creating a new shoulder strap for his bass. He's more and more ambitious, because he chose not to use just one colour, instead he's mixing baby blue, ocean blue and dark green all together very skilfully, creating amazing shades.

He has followed all the instructions of the manual for about one hour and he had no problems, but now he has reached a very crucial point: the buttonholes to insert at the extremity.

Chris takes a break, puts his work in progress on the bed very carefully, takes his mobile and searches through the phonebook, but then he throws it on the armchair, unsatisfied.

- I guess there's no one who can help me. I love Kelly and everything, but she can barely hold a needle between her fingers. If only I had behaved better with that Gabrielle, now I could have asked for her help! Instead, I'm stuck at this bloody point, too afraid to go on and risk to spoil something…- Chris ponders as he observes his work.

"Hey, Chris, are you already up? I bet you are. C'mon, open the door, it's Matt and me, we must talk with you, it's important!" Dominic announces from the corridor, as Matthew just confines himself to knock at the door.

As soon as he hear them, Chris jumps off the bed, panic-stricken.

- Oh, God, it's them! If they see this they'll go on making fun of me until the rest of their lives. They can't see this, no one can! - he decides, taking his work and hiding it under the bed.

"Wait, guys, I'm coming…" Chris warns them, since at least he is not that naïve and he locked his door for real.

He's about to open the door, but then he glances under the bed, concerned.

- Oh, no, bad idea, this way it will get dirty! - he figures out, taking it again.

He puts it out on the window sill, but then he changes his mind again.

- No way, it's even worse. What if the wind makes it fall on the street? - he gets worried, taking it off there before it's too late.

He looks at his mini-bar, but he rejects that idea immediately.

- No way, it will get wet. Plus, if they asked for a drink they would see it .-

"Chriiiiiiiiis!" Dom calls him out, a little bit bothered.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. It's just that… I've just got off the shower, so I'm utterly naked. And you don't want to see me naked, do you?" Chris finds the perfect excuse.

"Eewww, no, never! Just wear something and open up," Dominic answers and then he looks at Matt. "It's another one the guy whom I don't mind at all to see utterly naked, quite the contrary!" he adds in a whisper, making Matt smile.

In the meantime Chris has managed to put his masterpiece in his suitcase, as best he can, hoping that it won't crease too much.

Plus, not to make them suspicious, he has also soaked his head, to give the impression of the shower.

"Sorry I made you wait. Come in," he invites them opening the door. "So, what's the big deal?" he wonders as they all sit on the bed, Chris on one side, Matt and Dom on the other.

"We don't know where to start," Matthew wavers.

"Just choose a start, anything!" Chris exhorts them, already curious.

"Maybe, after hearing us, you will want to leave the band again!" Matt warns him, though Chris has no idea of what that 'again' means.

"Just bloody talk!" he urges them harder.

"Okay. Matt and I are together!" Dom declares, simply.

"I see that you are together!" Chris rolls his eyes.

"No, I don't mean just now. I mean that we are together… always." Dominic clarifies.

"Surprise, surprise! You are *always* together!" Chris strikes back, more annoyed than before.

"Ok, let me try another way," Matt exclaims, turning to Dom and then he turns to Chris.

"You know, sometimes best friends are made to be just and only best friends, but sometimes things go in a different way, fate plays some tricks and said best friends end up being something else." Matt explains.

"Oh, no! Are you telling me that you had a fight and now you want the band to split?" Chris gets alarmed and this time it's Matthew who looks at him bothered, just like Dom does.

"You're right, Dom. It's harder than I thought." Matthew states.

"I told you so. I guess it's time to resort to Plan B." Dom suggests as he holds his hand in his.

"What the hell are you blathering about? What's Plan B? What was supposed to be Plan A, by the way? But mostly… why are you holding hands?" Chris wonders, confused and puzzled.

"Because we happen to like holding hands," Dominic answers, without taking his eyes off Matthew.

"And why do you like holding hands?" Chris asks them, more and more baffled.

"Now you'll see why…" Matt announces as he bends over Dom and it's just a matter of a few seconds before they get involved in a passionate kiss, although they try their best not to exaggerate with the fervour.

Chris stares at them traumatized and dumbfounded.

"Bu… but … but we're not playing mistletoe… and I'm not holding a card of poker over your heads." Chris stutters incoherently, mixing ideas… and that proves how disturbed he is.

"See, Chris? That's what Dom and I were trying to tell you. We. Are. Together. Is it clear, now?" Matt asks him, parting from Dom.

"Terrifyingly clear." their friend grumbles.

"But… but… but your girlfriends…" Chris gets agitated.

"They still don't know that. No one knows. You're the first one, but you must keep the secret." Matt informs him.

"But… but… but… when did it happen? How did it happen? *Why* did it happen?" Chris keeps wondering.

"Everything started that day at Matt's house." Dom confesses.

"So, is it my fault?" Chris gets alarmed.

"Oh, c'mon, Chris. It's not a matter of fault. Let's just say that you helped us discover faster something that we would end up discovering anyway, sooner or later." Dominic explains.

"About our girlfriends, you think we were happy, we also thought we were happy, but truth is that there was something missing. We weren't totally satisfied with them. So we can say that Dom and I were in the same boat!"

"Damn you, Bells! If you talk about your fucking beloved boats and ships again, I swear I'll put you into one just in order to make it end up like the Titanic!" Chris treats him.

"Uhmm. Like the Titanic you said, didn't you? Well, I wouldn't mind, especially if I can make the remake of that famous scene on the prow. So, Dom, would you be my Jack who holds his Rose tight?" Matt wonders as he makes moony eyes to the blond.

"As long as you play Rose!" Dom chuckles.

"After all, you already play Juliet!" Matt makes fun of him.

"I've already told you I don't!" the drummer protests vigorously.

"Believe me, you do!" Matt smirks.

"Please, just warn me when you stop acting like sissies!" Chris comments, as he turns his back to them.

- Hello? Words coming from someone who no longer than ten minutes ago was *knitting*, getting despaired due to a *buttonhole*! So, who is the sissy? Yeah, but they don't know that. Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you didn't do that. Hey, conscience, aren't you supposed to be on my side? Oh, God, I can't believe that I'm actually arguing with… myself! - the guy gets really concerned and then he turns to his friends again.

"So, coming back to the Titanic scene, I can trust you, because you would never ever let me fall, wouldn't you?" Matthew wonders as Dominic hugs him from behind, making him open his arms wide as Chris repents of giving Matt that idea.

"And I woooooon't leave you faaaaaaalllllling / If the moment eeeeeever coooomes." Dom sings his answer to him.

"Gee, Dom, it was such a good time, don't spoil everything singing!" Matt snaps as he breaks free from the blond's embrace.

"You two still have to explain to me why you became gay, out of the blue!" Chris makes them notice.

"Hey! I'm not gay! A gay likes men. I don't like men. I like only one: him!" Matt points out as he holds Dom tight.

"And it's the same for me. I mean, not the fact that I like myself, but Matt. Well, of course, I like myself, too!" Dominic points out.

"Yeah, we know that you like yourself!" Chris and Matt exclaim in unison as they both roll their eyes.

"Anyway, it's not that we accepted that immediately. We tried to figure our feelings out, we tried to fight them, smother them, and we tried to persuade ourselves that it was wrong, but it was useless!" Matt explains.

"Believe me, I've thought thousands of times 'Why can't he become a woman? Why can't he become a woman?' but he can't. And to be honest, I don't mind it at all!" Dominic confesses.

"And I wished the same about him. Lucky for us it didn't work, because if both of our wishes had come true it would have been even worse, since we would have ended up being two women in love!" Matthew adds.

"Well, it would have been great. To have two lesbian friends sounds so exciting!" Chris giggles.

"You, pervert!" Dom pretends to insult him as he throws a pillow against him.

"About you, Matt, it wouldn't have been such a big problem, because it wouldn't have changed anything about the way you sing!" Chris makes fun of him, throwing the pillow against him.

"Hey!" Matt acts insulted, throwing the pillow back to him.

Chris wants to do the same, but misses his goal and hits Dom… and then one hell of pillow fight starts.

After about a quarter an hour, the trio is laughing madly as tons of feathers surround them.

"So, Chris, now that you know the truth… do you accept it?" Matt asks him, becoming serious.

"What kind of question is it? Of course I do. After all, it's still you two, nothing changed. Just promise me that I'll never hear you calling each other 'honey', 'sweetheart', 'luv' and stuff like that… because it would make me sick." Chris warns them, horrified.

"Don't worry. I don't think we'll ever do that." Matt assures him.

"So far, we didn't get any further than 'Mattie' and 'Dommie'." Dominic informs him.

"Eewww! It's enough to make me sick!" Chris comments, making a disgusted face and then he falls into a deep and concentrate silence.

"So, it was just that!" he exclaims after a while.

"What?" the other two wonder in unison.

"That's why you acted so weird, when you kept isolating me, when you act almost rudely with me. And to think I was sure you wanted me to leave the band!" Chris reveals to them, laughing about that.

"What? Excuse me, it's *you* who wanted to leave the band, in order to start a new career as a soloist." Dom corrects him as Matthew gets up from the bed and, without being seen, he starts backing off.

"What? I kept saying that we had to remain united, but you kept irritating me, so I had to play your own game." Chris explains as Matt tries to establish if the window sill on a seventh floor is a too dangerous way of escape and finally he decides it is.

"What? Noooo, Matt and I were just trying to make you change your mind, resorting to… to the…" Dom goes on, before analyzing the whole situation.

"!" he roars furious, but the frontman seems nowhere to be found.

Anyway, Dom takes a look around better and then he rushes triumphantly towards the cupboard where he can see a little strip of white fabric with two printed grey skulls on it popping out from the shutters.

"Betrayed by your own clothes!" the blond states as he open the cupboard without any hesitation, finding the rest of the T-shirt and his scared owner, too, who is staring at him with a 'Please-don't-kill-me!' look.

"Reverse Psychology, eh? You had a radar for it, didn't you?" the drummer reminds to him, as he abruptly drags him off the cupboard, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"You know, it's not so easy to study Psychology on Gaia's Italian books!" the brunette justifies.

"But no-fucking-body asked you to do that!" the blond scolds him.

"Excuse me, does anyone want to bother to explain to me what the bloody hell is going on?" Chris interrupts them, exasperated.

So, in turn, they patiently explain to him the majestic chain of misunderstandings among them.

"At least, you're not two never grown up kids who have fun annoying the hell out of me! Kelly was wrong… and the worst part is that I can't even tell her!" Chris comments at the end.

"I'm so glad that everything is clear now. Anyway, Chris, I promise I'll make you forgive me." Matthew announces.

"Just how?" Chris wonders.

"I already have an idea." he smirks mysteriously.

At the Magness Arena everything is going fine and Muse is already at half concert.

At the end of 'Super Massive Black Hole', Matthew goes near to the microphone, in order to make a speech.

"I know that more than half crowd here are wondering who the hell we are and when we'll be done with our show. I know that usually an opening act band should just play without wasting time, but I just don't care at all. I have a dedication to make, so you just have to listen me, whatever you like it or not." he starts, under the astonished gaze of the other two band mates.

"Communication is important and should never be underestimated. I made this mistake and ended up almost hurting a dear friend of mine, a very special one…" he goes on, turning to Chris.

"C'mon, give it up for my friend!" Matt rouses the crowd and two seconds after the whole arena is filled up with claps and inciting yells.

"Lucky for us, we made things right now. Anyway, Chris, tonight this song is for you, to make you understand that, if Dom, you and I already rule on our own… together we're invincible!" Matt concludes as he makes his hand flow on the pad of his special guitar, creating a wonderful intro that is made both of sounds and lights.

The part of the crowd that knows them well enough to figure out what that final sentence and that intro bring rejoices excited.

And as they perform 'Invincible', Matt and Dom stare at the more than touched Chris, with eyes plenty of affection and friendship.

About the way they look at each other, well, it's something extremely further than friendship!

TBC

Well, well, another loooong chapter.

Uhmm.. I guess you noticed that I just LOVE 'Invincible', didn't you?

Could I leave you without any pics to show you? Of course I couldn't.

This is about Matt's lovely T-shirt (the same he also wore at Milan in 2006… aaaawwww such wonderful memories!)

http :/ www . /gallery /data /media /204/314978911_a1a70dcb9a_o . jpg

http :/ www . /gallery/data/media/204/314969724_20979eaa0c_o .jpg

http :/ www ./gallery/data/media/204/Copia_di_pc0409350001cl9 .jpg

and this is about Matt's obsession with glitter some chapters ago… just think about Wembley (and also Florence and Verona ) 2007 … aaaaawwww, here we go with the wonderful memories again!

Please, notice, he has glitter in his hair! -3

http : / www microcuts. net / gallery / data / media / 269 / 524969582_8e0d40ef75_b. jpg

http :/ www . microcuts . net / gallery /data /media /269 /525334753_8db70dd42d_o . jpg

http :/ www. / gallery / data / media /269/525330137_a45681862e_o. jpg

http :/ www . microcuts .net / gallery / data /media /269/522935950_5998363ecd_b .jpg

Hope you had fun and still like it! Thanks to everyone who is reading this story, but mostly thanks to whoever takes their time to let me know what you think of it so far, it means a lot to me, really!


	17. XVII: Hands off my

Warning: This is an almost impossible chapter, mostly for the part about the backstage, I guess that Muse's security stuff works much better than that! ;)

At the beginning between Matt and Dom there's a moment OUTRAGEOUSLY cute and fluffy, but pretty surreal, too, lol! Plus (yay!), Pinkie is back… and once again surrealism rules!

Plus, there's some hints to kinky stuff ;P

Summary of the chapter: Matt doesn't like sharing…

Chapter XVII: Hands Off My…

The dedication has been a very good idea, because their crowd ended up feeling more involved, no matter if the major part of them wasn't exactly 'their' crowd.

That's why Matt and Dom are commenting that event joyfully, in the backstage.

Whatever it was a good idea or not, they would be happy anyway: the only presence of one makes the other happy and vice versa.

About Chris, well… he's engrossed watching the video of the dedication that, due to Matthew's request, a guy of the security has shot with the bassist's portable camera.

As a matter of fact, Chris doesn't even seem to notice when they leave their dressing room.

"Come with me, there's something I wanna show you," Matt exclaims, bringing Dom in the room where there are their instruments. "I tried to do that with the piano, but it doesn't sound very good," the brunet goes on as he wears the shoulder-strap of his guitar with the special pad, the one he used to play 'Invincible'. "But with the guitar is just perfect! Give me a minute." he goes on, as Dominic stares at him curiously, without understanding what he's about to do.

Matthew deals a bit with the 'e' chord.

"Here we go. Pay attention." he warns him as he lets his finger flow upon the frets and moves the plectrum in a way that it almost seems that the guitar is saying 'Dominic'.

Once he's done with his demonstration, he looks expectantly at him, grinning, already knowing that he has performed that perfectly.

"Oh, Matty, this is soooo cool!" the blond exclaims, hyped-up, and then he sits at the drum and holds his drumsticks. "Now, let me do something for you." he announces, before beating two parts of the drums.

He also looks expectantly at the brunet, but he stares at him puzzled, but as soon as a sad expression and mostly the start of a pout appear on the blond's face, realization hits him like a flash.

"Oh, my god. You didn't make the drums say 'Matthew'… did you?" he wonders, stunned.

"I knew you would get it. After all, it was so easy to figure out!" the drummer exults. "Now listen to this…" he adds, before concentrating and hitting the drums seven times.

Dom looks at him dumbfounded.

"Dommy, no matter how much I love you, this is fucking impossible to figure out!" the singer protests.

"How can you say such a thing? It was so simple. It was 'Oh-Matt-I-Love-You-So-Much'!" Dominic explains, a little bit upset.

Matthew seems to melt like snow in the sunlight.

"Aww, Dommy, you know, we'd better not make our instruments say such sweet things," he states as he approaches like a predator the blond who is impatiently waiting for him.

"No?" Dom wonders rhetorically.

"Nope. On second thought, even the words aren't extremely necessary," the brunet goes on, riding on the drums, in front of his boyfriend.

"You're right. There are so many other ways. The look in your eyes is one." the blond murmurs.

"Very romantic. Kind of poetic, too, but it's not what I meant." Matt reveals and Dom hasn't even the time to ask him what he meant, because the brunet jumps on him, straddling his lap and the bulges in their jeans make contact.

There's no need to say that both of those jeans now are unbearably constricting.

"See? I guess that the body language is the best way ever. What do you think?" Matt whispers in his ear, sucking the lobe in his mouth and tugging lightly on it with his teeth as he lustfully rubs his body against his, before letting his hands slip inside the blond's white t-shirt.

With a low groan, Dominic pushes himself harder against him, kissing him fiercely as his fingers deal with the zipper of the brunet's jeans.

"Guys, I still have to thank you once more for…" Chris exclaims, breaking in the room, but he immediately stops, due to the scene in front of his eyes.

Seeing him, Matt and Dom part and get up from the drums.

"Uh! Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt you. No, wait. I mean that I did want to interrupt you, so I wouldn't have to look at you anymore. No, wait, I mean… it's not that I didn't accept that. I mean, I accepted that, more or less. It's just that I need time to get accustomed to that. No, wait, I mean... I'm not so sure that I'll ever get accustomed to that. I mean, well, I guess I'm gonna take another walk!" Chris babbles, making his very vacillating monologue end, before leaving.

His reaction does nothing but make Dominic and Matthew burst out laughing madly.

"Poor dear, I guess he'll need a lot of time," Dominic states and then he looks suggestively at Matt. "So, I guess we'd better avoid acting so savagely when he's around." he reckons immediately after.

"You're right, but it won't be easy to resist at all, especially if you keep looking so fucking tempting…" Matt snarls as he stares at him ravenously.

Giggling, Dominic locks the door and then he drags the brunet to himself, before pinning him against the wall.

"But now he's *not* around!" the blond sneers evilly and then both of them take advantages of the situation.

"Congratulations, Matt, I'm so proud of you." Dominic states as they both arrange their stuff in the hotel room at Salt Lake City, their new tour date.

Since now Chris knows everything, they're more than free to share a room together, as long as they don't let the rest of the Hotel know about that.

"Maybe it's because now you finally seem to get accustomed to that, but this time you didn't make any fuss, you didn't argue with any hostess… good, Matty, very good!" the blond goes on, opening the cupboard where he's just finished arranging all his clothes inside.

"So, I guess it's time to give you these. You deserve it!" Dom announces as he gives him his acid green pants.

Matthew almost starts jumping as a child.

"Are you sure, Dommy?"

"Absolutely sure!"

"Can I already wear them tonight?"

"Absolutely yes!"

"Dammit, Dom, you're not starting again with the absolute-mania, are you?" Matt rolls his eyes.

"Nope. Just kidding!" Dom sticks out his tongue at him.

"Alright. I guess I'll spend half of the afternoon dealing with my whole wardrobe. I want to match those pants wisely." the brunet announces.

"Oh, god! I'm already trembling!" the drummer taunts him.

"Ah-ah. Very funny!" the other acts insulted and then he becomes serious.

"Dom, could you please give me Pinkie for awhile? I want to check if everything is ok." Matt asks him.

"What? Are you hinting that I don't treat him properly?" Dom asks him.

"Just give him to me!" Matt insists.

"Okay." Dom obliges, giving him his trolley.

Matt locks himself in the next door, but when after more than fifteen minutes Dom doesn't see him come back yet, he opens the door and finds Matthew sat on the armchair, with a stethoscope upon the trolley.

"Matt, what the bloody hell are you doing?" he wonders, astounded.

"I told you I wanted to check him out!"

"Yes, but… you're even *auscultating* him!" Dom makes him notice as he stares at him with extreme concern in his green-grey eyes.

"That's what I call a pwoper checkout!" the other justifies, taking off the stethoscope and giving his trolley back to Dom.

"Anyway, everything is okay, I'm glad for that!" he declares, satisfied.

"Please, Matt, tell me that at least you didn't make him say 'thirty-three'!" (*)

"Don't be silly, Dom." the other replies and the blond is glad due to the fact that his mate hasn't gone bonkers yet.

"Pinkie can count only to ten. I still have to teach him how to go on!" Matt points out very calmly, as Dom shakes his head in resignation.

Once he's ready, Matthew gets off his dressing room.

"Oh, my dear, you look amazing tonight, and that shirt fits you like a T!" Dom exclaims, behind his back.

"Thank you, Dom, you are…" Matt replies, but when he turns to him he shuts up, realizing that Dom isn't even looking at him, since he's utterly engrossed esteeming himself in front of the mirror.

"Uh! Look, I was talking to myself!" Dom explains quietly and Matt can't help agreeing, since that white and black shirt with black breast pockets suits him very well.

"About you, gee, Matt, I love you and everything, but… you look awful!"

"What? But… I'm wearing your jeans!" Matt protests.

"Yeah, but you managed to match them with the worst shirt ever!" Dom strikes back, pointing at the shirt with red and yellow flowers and green leaves that the singer wears.

"I like it!" Matt digs his heels in.

"I'll like it more when I take it off from you, after the show!" Dom teases him.

"Uh! I'm gonna like that, too!" the other strikes back, with a quick kiss, before leaving the room with him.

At the E-Arena everything is going more than fine, the crowd welcomes their songs kinda enthusiastically, plus the first rows had even posters and placards for them.

When they're done with their last song, then Muse goes to the edge of the stage, in order to greet and thank the crowd.

Chris throws his plectrum without a goal, but Dominic is more than determined to make one of his drumsticks land in a definite spot.

Yeah, because during the show a girl in the first row, a very pretty girl, for the record, has thrown her hot pink bra to him and not only he has collected it but he has also worn it on his shirt.

That gesture has already made that girl deserve his drumstick, but she has also shown a placard to him, with the striking, glittered written 'Please, Dom, give me your drumsticks…'

As it's easy to figure out, the glitter has drawn also Matthew's attention, like a magnet , so he's almost about to throw also his plectrum to that girl, but finally he decides to give that very craved reward to another girl who is holding a giant sketch of a banana-cartoon that is playing a guitar.

As Dom observes the joyful expression of the girl who has promptly grabbed his drumstick, he glances at the placard one last time and manages to read also the final sentence that says '… although I'd love to have *so much more* from you!'

That message unsettles him a little bit and Matthew seems to notice that.

"Wassup? Is there something wrong?" he asks him and Dominic points with his look at both the incriminating girl and the placard.

"Don't worry, Dommy, I'm going to protect you!" the brunet declares proudly as they leave the stage.

"It's so nice from you, Matty, but how the hell are you supposed to protect me when it takes just a air blow to knock you out?" Dom makes fun of him.

"You're evil. You know that I even started going to the Gym!" Matt pouts at him, insulted.

"That's the point, you've just started. There's still a lot of work to do!" Dom puts salt on his wounds.

"Ok, I got it. I can't be your bodyguard, but, don't fear, someone very worthier is gonna replace me!" Matt announces, without even giving Dom the time to reply.

"Hey, Chris, be his bodyguard for tonight. You know, it's just like in that movie with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Dom plays Rachel and you play Frank, but don't you dare get into character too much, otherwise I could never forgive you!" Matt warns his friend.

"What the bloody hell do you want me to do and why?" a puzzled Chris wonders.

"Don't mind at him, he just watches too much TV!" the blond rolls his eyes as he keeps walking. "Anyway, guys, really, I don't need any special protection, just stay here and don't…" he adds, turning to them, but he can't look into their eyes, due to the simple fact that they have disappeared, each one for a different reason. "… leave me alone. Right, just what I meant!" Dom sarcastically concludes his sentence, before realizing he's not alone.

"You?" he snaps, as he observes a little bewildered the girl in front of him, the same girl whom he has thrown his drumstick to.

"Yeah, me. What can I say? I run very fast and American security guys are so much easier to fool than English ones!" the girl explains.

"English ones, you said? So, this is not your first concert, isn't this?" he figures out.

"Hell nope, baby, London chick here. I've followed you around almost half UK!" she informs him.

"Oh, my. You're crazy!" Dom comments, astonished.

"Yeah, I'm crazy for you!" she points out, very enthusiastically. "Anyway, in the UK I didn't even try to meet you, because she was always around." she snorts.

"Who?" the blond wonders in confusion.

"But your girlfriend, of course!" she clarifies.

- Oh, right, that's true. I tend to forget that I *still* have a girlfriend, at least until the tour is over. - he reminds to himself.

"But I know that she wouldn't follow you here. So, you're all alone and I'm gonna take advantage of that!" she warns him, almost threateningly.

********************** (In the meantime)

Matthew is about to go back to the backstage, satisfied by his bravado.

As soon as he saw the technicians bring on the stage the My Chemical Romance 's instruments, taking advantage of their temporary absence and covered by the curtains, he managed to grab a couple of guitars and get them out of tune. After doing that he put them back and left, and now he can't wait to see the results, as he hopes that they will use them.

On his way back he takes a glance to Chris who is engrossed not only signing the diaries of two fans of him, but mostly skimming through the pages of those diaries and this is something that dazes the girls, but they keep admiring their idol in righteous silence.

The fact that Chris is entertaining himself with those girls means just and only one thing to Matthew.

- My poor Dommy is defenceless! - he gets alarmed, rushing towards the blond's dressing room, but on the corridor he finds out that his fears already turned into reality.

"For the bloody last time, I'm not a sodding eucalypt and you're not a sodding Koala, so quit it, bloody quit it!" Dom insists as he tries his best to get free, from the girl's grip as she seems intentioned not to let him go.

"Hey! Hands off my… D… " Matt snaps, behind their back, kinda pissed off, but he figures out he's about to reveal too much.

"Drummer. Hands off my drummer!" he corrects himself just in time.

Hearing him, the girl parts from Dom, unwillingly, as it takes Matt less than half second to recognize her.

"You?" he exclaims.

"Well, that's very funny. Even Dom said the same thing when he saw me. Gee, am I that famous? I'll start thinking that it's not me who came here to see you, but it's the exact opposite!" she jokes as Matt keeps glaring at her cold-heartedly.

"It's just that we saw you before, let's say that your placard drew a lot of attention." Dominic explains to her.

"Yep. You know, I would let him go with you…" Matt says, but he's thinking something very different.

- The fucking hell I would! -

"… but, you know, we have a plane to take tomorrow, so, you know, I don't want him to get worn out!" the frontman find a brilliant excuse.

"Oh, what a pity! And to think that I know so many ways to wear you out, both of you!" the girl winks at them, astonishing Matthew.

As the two guys don't exclude a priori the idea of that potential, intriguing threesome, the girl goes closer to Matthew and spanks his butt.

"Hey!" both of the guys exclaim in unison, but there's no need to say that Matt is the most stunned one.

"See? This is just a sneak pre-view…" she maliciously warns them.

"Now I gotta go. Bye, guys. Anyway, if you change your mind, inside my bra there's my phone number. Dom, I know you kept it. I saw you." the girl adds, before leaving under their dumbfounded looks.

"So, you kept it, didn't you?" Matt asks his partner after a minute of silence, as he stares at him annoyed.

"Yep, I did, but, you know… it's a fan souvenir… and it's hot pink!" the blond justifies.

"Anyway, in our kinky list we still have to try to do that with the shackles, with some bondage, shooting us with a camera, than we must do it with…"

"Please, don't say it!" Matt cuts him off, but it's too late.

"With the * knife*!" Dom goes on, lingering on the last word on purpose as the other shakes his head in resignation. "And after all this naughty stuff we can have even a threesome!" the blond ends.

"And it would be a threesome with a perfect stranger, for the record!" Matt makes him notice,"

"Well, she's not a total stranger, she introduced herself before, her name is Serene." Dom informs him.

"Oh, so she introduced herself. This changes everything. Let's have a baby with her, then!" Matt strikes back.

"Uhm, now you're being sarcastic. I like that…" Dom purrs as he gets closer to him, slowly, with a languid look.

"Yeah, but mostly I'm bloody jealous!" Matt warns him as he caresses his face with the back of his hand.

"I love it even more, when you're bloody jealous!" Dominic smiles as he's about to kiss him.

Too bad that the idyllic moment is interrupted by a very terrible out of tune note coming from the stage.

"What the fuck was that shit?" the drummer wonders horrified, refusing to acknowledge that it comes just from the band he admires so much.

"Gee, they are getting worse and worse, day by day. This is unacceptable, they play *after* us and they don't even know how to play a guitar. Tsk- tsk!" Matthew comments indignant, but Dominic notices his way too pleased expression.

"Matthew James Bellamy! You don't have a hand in this… do you?" the blond questions him with a tone and a look that don't allow any lie.

So, his boyfriend can't do anything but telling him the truth.

"Well, actually…"

TBC

What can I say? Matt's trickery will backfire, you'll see! ;P

I seriously believe that Matt can make his guitars 'talk' ;)

About the part with Pinkie (*) I made a research about it and I found out that it's not a common thing in the UK, however, in countries like Italy, France, Spain and Portugal when doctors auscultate their patients, they ask them to say 'thirty-three' ;)

And now, my beloved pic's time:

About Dom's shirt (my favourite one ever):

http: / i123 photobucket . com /albums /o283 /evolia / 0479 .jpg

About Matt's terrible shirt (yeah, it exists for real , sorry for the quality of the pics, you can't see it pwoperly ) :

http :/ i51 . tinypic . com

http :/ i56 . tinypic . com /554fsx. jpg

As always thanks to anyone who is reading this delirium , but mostly thanks to whoever takes their time to tell me what they think of it, it mean so, so much to me, really!

Hope you'll still like it, I promise that it's going to end sooner or later ;)


	18. XVIII: From number FiftySeven!

Warning: Lots of fluff and crazy stuff (Uh! I made it rhyme, lol!)

Summary of the chapter: Matt and Dom need a good plan…

Chapter XVIII: From Number Fifty-Seven!

WHAT'S THE WORST THAT I CAN SAY?

THINGS ARE BETTER IF I STAY

Matthew sings a cappella, at the end of their show, as he waves his hand and invites the crowd to do the same and also to sing along with him, at the Arena, the new tour date.

SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT, SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT

The crowd sings back as loud as they can, waving their hands even more than him, but for the frontman is not enough yet.

AND IF YOU CARRY ON THIS WAY

THINGS ARE BETTER IF I STAY

SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT, SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT

Matthew incites them with the second verse and this time the crowd sings along with him since the beginning.

Chris observes the whole scene dumbfounded, wondering which evil entity has possessed his friend to make him do such a thing.

Anyway, when he sees that Dominic seems to be very pleased by that and he is even laughing about it, he hopes that the drummer will promptly clarify things to him.

"Enjoy the rest of the show with My Chemical Romance! Thank you, Phonenix, see ya soon. Cheers!" Matthew greets the crowd, going towards the backstage as the other two follow him.

"I can't still believe I did that damn thing for real!" the singer comments, horrified.

"A payback is a payback!" Dominic states.

"Yeah, but it's unfair, I didn't even damage them at the show in Salt Lake City, at the very end; quite the contrary, people thought it was a joke and enjoyed that, laughing with them, not at them, as I wished!" Matt complains.

It's enough for the two lovers to see Chris's still confused face to understand what his question is, even before he asks them.

"Matt got the My Chemical Romance's guitars out of tune at the last show, that's why you heard that terrible noise at the beginning." Dom explains shortly as he glares at Matt.

"Yeah, and Mr. Fair here forced me to tell them the truth." Matt goes on, glaring back at Dom.

"Yeah, and the band looked for their more than deserved revenge. So they forced Matt to get the crowd ready for their arrival, singing a little bit of one of their most famous hits!" Dom concludes, glaring at Matt once again.

"So, that was one of *their* songs! I thought it was a new work in progress of yours and you hadn't told me about that. After all, you have the bloody tendency to hide so much stuff to me!" Chris strikes back as he glares at them both.

"Oh, c'mon, we told you everything at the end, didn't we? And we could never work on something new without letting you know about that!" Matthew assures him.

"Yep, except for the geezers' song." escapes from Dom's lips.

"Dominic! Damn you and your bloody mouth!" Matt snaps.

"Hey! If memory serves me right, yesterday you didn't complain at all about my bloody mouth!" Dom reminds to his boyfriend, making him blush.

Also Chris goes red… but with rage.

"What? Are you still working on that horror?" he roars.

"Can we just forget about the last minute and start it over again?" Dom attempts to ask them.

"No way!" Matt and Chris yell at him in unison.

"If only I had my time-machine!" the drummer mutters.

"Oh, c'mon, Chris, let's make a deal: you can work on a project on your own and Dom and I won't say a word!" the frontman tries to bargain.

"Don't you even try, Bells! Just abandon once for all this suicidal idea, you'll never make it! I'll warn every single recording studio in the world not to let you in, if I'm not with you; and if I see you two try something funny during one of our shows I'm gonna intervene, *violently* if necessary!" Chris threatens them and it works, of course.

"Ok, I got the message. " Matt ruefully surrenders.

"Gee, Chris, why do you have to be always such a pain in the ass? Plus, you're way too bloody serious!" Dominic snorts.

"I'm not serious, I'm just normal… but I can't say the same about you two!" the bassist defends himself. "And don't forget that Ricky from IV A is the coolest guy of the High School because he looks like me a little bit!" he adds before leaving, as he proudly remembers the diaries he read at Salt Lake City.

This time it's Dom and Matt who look dumbfounded, but they just decide to ignore that.

Plus, Dominic has something else to worry about.

"Sorry, Matt, I didn't do it on purpose…" he backs off prudently.

"But you did. When it's a matter to keep a secret you're worst than a gossiper!" Matt scolds him.

"You're right. I've been such a bad boy. I need a punishment." Dominic reckons.

"Yep, you do, so…" Matt agrees, but then he realizes the way the blond is looking at him. "Gee, Dom! You can't always turn everything into bloody sex! This is a serious issue!" he protests.

"But I'm bloody serious. Punish me!" Dom insists.

"Well, it doesn't work this way!" Matt grumbles.

"Why?"

"Because you don't look like someone who is gonna be punished." Matt makes him notice as he approaches him, still showing a serious and stern face.

"How do I look like then?" the drummer asks him, curious.

"Like someone who's gonna have a lot of fun!" the other strikes back

"Oh. And tell me, aint't so?" the blond wonders rhetorically as he resorts to his unfailing weapon.

As a matter of fact, Matt's harsh expression is replaced by a sexy smile.

"Damn you and your irresistible pout! Let's go to our room, can't wait to *punish* you!" the brunet growls as he drags his lover away with him.

Since he has found at the Salt Lake City airport a handbook of crochet-hook that answered even to his deepest inquisitions, after buying it and hiding it from his friends, two days later, at Los Angeles, Chris can finally take advantage of that. He knows that he can dedicate some time to his beloved hobby without being disturbed.

Mostly because Dominic and Matthew have something else to do.

They're lying on the bed, placidly, taking advantage not only of the free morning, but of the free day at their whole disposal.

Matthew is searching around the web at random, with his laptop on his lap as he takes notes on his Hello Kitty notebook about the potential changes of their playlists.

Dom looks at him absently, since he's all engrossed in listening to his iPod.

He wishes with all his being that Matt had not the brilliant idea of tugging on an earphone and listening to the music with him, because no matter how tender that gesture would be, Matt would end up listening to something he violently dislikes; since it's one of My Chemical Romance's songs and, maybe for a trick of fate, it's just the one he had to sing a cappella at the end of their last show.

Luckily for Dom, Matt doesn't seem interested at all in joining to that listening.  
Out of the blue, the blond starts caring less about the music and more about his mate who is drawing doodles around the pink, tied ribbon of the kitten with the date of January 20th above.

Suddenly realization hits them both.

"Tomorrow it's a whole week since we've been shagging like rabbits!" Dom exclaims.

"Tomorrow it's a whole month since we've kissed for the very first time!" Matt exclaims at the same time, but that doesn't prevent them from hearing each other.

"Oh, what you said is much more romantic!" Dom recognises with a sweet smile.

"But what you said is much more exciting!" Matt replies with a horny look.

"So, tomorrow we'll have a double important occasion to celebrate. We have to get ready pwopewly." the brunet goes on.

"A private party?" the blond realizes with an expectant look.

"Yep, a very, very private one, my dear!" the other confirms.

"But tomorrow we have the show!" Dom reminds to him. "So, how..."

"We have all day long to find a way to escape right after the show!" the singer winks at him.

"You're right. By the way, since it's almost midday, can we finally open the window or what?" Dom changes topic.

"Already? Why? Dark rooms with switched on lamps are so nice, even better if the lamps are replaced by candles." Matt protests.

"Well, unlike you, my dear vampire, I happen to like the sun!" Dom strikes back as he pulls the curtains and opens the window. "Now we can start. You know, I plan better in the sunlight!" he grins, as he bathes in the sunlight.

Too bad that his boyfriend is still busy recording in his brain his previous sentence.

"Vampire?" he repeats as a question.

"To begin with, you're so pale..."

"Said the Californian surfer!" Matt strikes back, sarcastically.

"Well, at least I have sunlamps sometimes... whatever! That's not the point! Back to what I was telling you, you always lurk in the shadows and you seem to be much more active at night ... almost as if you spent the day recharging your batteries... just like vampires do!" Dom goes on.

"But I don't recharge my batteries sleeping in a coffin!" the brunet points out.

"Well, this is irrelevant. Plus, sometimes you can be so, so evil. Just think about what you did to those poor, dear guys on stage!" Dominic reminds to him.

"What about what *they* did to *me*? Wasn't it evil as well?" Matt makes him notice.

"Nope, that was just fair!" the blond clarifies, before he starts staring at him with diffidence. "Hey, wait a minute. How can I be sure that you don't eat food just for cover?" Dom insinuates as he starts enjoying that a lot.

"I'm not a vampire, Dom! Quit it, bloody quit it!" a fiery Matt snaps.

"You said 'bloody ' which reminds to blood. So, you do are a vampire! You... you... VladyMatt!" Dom strikes back, enlightened.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Matt roars.

"But it's what you are. And you're even growling now, just like a proper vampire. VladyMatt, VladyMatt, VladyMatt!" Dom insisted, amused as a child who has just discovered the funniest game ever.

"If you don't quit it I'll call you SpiderDom!" the brunet says, thinking that he's threatening him.

"Oh, please, do it. I like that!" the blond reveals.

"What? That's not fair. You weren't supposed to like that..." his boyfriend pouts.

"But I really do and I'll tell you what. We should dress up like these characters when we... you know!" the drummer suggests.

"Really?" the guitarist wonders, very intrigued.

After all, Dominic doesn't know that he has been thinking about that eventuality for awhile.

"Yep. You should get a black and red velvet cape and talk to me with Transylvanian accent... that would turn me on so bad!" the blond whispers at his ear, as the brunet shivers in pleasure.

"Sounds bloody good. So, can I also tell you what to do?" Matt purrs at his ear, but Dom pushes him away.

"No way! You can't tell me anything. After all, SpiderDom has already captured VladyMatt in his web, hasn't he?" he moans languidly as he lies down on the bed and with his look invites his partner to join him.

"Hell yes, he has!" the other smiles, as he crawls slowly on his giggling lover and places a tender chaste kiss on his soft lips. "Now, Dommy, get ready, because I'm gonna show you how much *active* I can be even during the day!" he warns him, before they both vent to their endless desire.

-

"Please, repeat. You are going to do... WHAT?" Chris exclaims, so stunned that the titbit of steak that he took with his fork falls inexorably on the plate, along with the fork.

"Just what we said. Tomorrow, after the show, we're going to escape and go celebrate our first week sexually together!" Dom explains to him again, with a wide grin at the thought.

"And also our first month since our very first kiss!" Matt adds, grinning as well.

"That's why we need our time to celebrate." Dom states, as he cuts his fillet.

"The more time we have, the better. That's why we need to skip the fans' time, although there will just a few people, since we're not the headliner here!" Matt retorts as he makes the red wine spin around his glass, slowly and widely, before sipping it.

"But you usually adore fans' time... both of you!" Chris makes them notice.

"Yep, but not tomorrow!" Dominic remarks.

"Oh, c'mon, all they ask for is a bunch of minutes to spend with us..." the bassist insists.

"Well, tomorrow all the bunch of minutes I have will be just and only at my Dom's disposal and there's no fan who can make me change my mind!" Matthew states resolutely.

"Gee, you're so mean!" Chris grumbles.

"Well, after all I'm VladyMatt, am not I?" the frontman sneers, glancing at the drummer.

"So, you do like it at the very end!" the blond figures out, enthusiastically.

"Yes, I admit I do... but just a little!" the brunet confesses.

Chris has no idea what they're babbling about, as he keeps turning his head to one and then to the other, as if he was watching a tennis match.

"How did you just call yourself and why?" he asks Matt. "No, wait. On second thought, I don't wanna know!" he corrects himself a few seconds later.

"Oh, c'mon, Chris, think about the positive side of the situation: if Matt and I are out of the game, you'll get all the fans' attention!" Dom makes him notice.

"Uh! Well, I hadn't thought about that…" the bassist answers, delighted by that idea, but then he jumps to another conclusion. "Are you hinting that I'll get all the fans' attention just because I'm the only one left? Have you mistaken me for a stopgap?" he wonders, insulted.

"No, never! How can you think such a terrible thing? You rule, you're awesome, you're great. Does Matt have to dedicate another song to you in order to convince you of that?" Dom replies.

"Nope. One is enough. Ok, I believe you. Just what am I supposed to say if some fans ask me why you're not there?" Chris asks them.

"Uhmm. Maybe you could tell them that our girlfriends made us a nice surprise and joined us during this date of the tour, so we want to spend as much time as we can with them." Dominic suggests.

"We couldn't be more liar than that!" Matthew shakes his head.

"So? Do you have a better idea, maybe?" Dom asks him.

"I'm not saying that I don't agree!" the other points out.

"So, Chris, we can trust you, can't we?" Dom needs confirmation.

"Yep, but don't you dare complain if from tomorrow on all our fans will ditch you to spend their time with me!" Chris smirks.

"One more thing; Tom will never know about it, promise to me!" Matthew asks as he can already picture in his mind a never ending lecture from their manager.

"Oh, Matty, now we have to find the perfect plan to escape tomorrow!" Dom incites him.

"Why? Haven't you thought about it in the morning?" Chris asks them.

"Oh, no, we've spent the whole morning…" the blond informs him, but Chris immediately stops him, raising his hand.

"Please, shut up, this is another thing I absolutely don't wanna know!" he clarifies, before he leaves the room and after awhile also the other two follow his example.

Saying that he needs his space sometimes, Dom spends the afternoon hanging around the town, going shopping, but mostly staring at himself from every shop-window Los Angeles has to offer him.

Matthew agrees without any problem, also because he has a pretty busy afternoon to deal with.

This was the fifth travel Dom made with Pinkie, so now his rightful owner has finally taken possession of his beloved trolley again.

He goes towards the bedroom, holding some tubes of red glitter and a set of golden wheels, ready to celebrate its return in the way he had promised to it.

He takes it from the closet, very carefully, and places it on an armchair.

"C'mon, Pinkie, let's get the party started!" he announces and the most worrying thing is that he's pretty sure that he's not just taking to himself!

After they had their dinner, Chris stays in the hall, entertaining himself with the barmen and some of the customers of the hotel, as Matthew and Dominic come back to their room.

The blond opens a drawer and takes a scratch pad and a blue felt-tip pen, as he starts writing 'Escape'.

No, they're not restudying that famous song of the Showbiz era.

As they have already decided, they're just plotting their way of escape.

Instead of writing, the brunet prefers drawing.

"So, we are these two.. " Matthew explains as he sketches in a very childish way two guys who are holding their hands, with a little heart in the middle.

"Aawww!" the blond melts down.

"And this is the Arena…" Matt goes on, turning page and drawing a circle with lots of rays that symbolize the several exits, but then he realizes that Dom isn't even looking at him anymore.

Following his gaze, he realizes what has drawn his attention so much.

"Gee, Dom, stop staring the sketch about us!" he reprimands him.

"I can't, you made me gorgeous even in this drawing!" the other states.

"Oh, c'mon, you don't even know which one is you!" the frontman teases him.

"Hell yeah I do, I'm the one on the left. To begin with, he's the taller one." he explains, turning the sketch towards Matt in order to make him see it better. "Then, the one on the right has crazier hair, see?" he goes on, snatching the felt-tip pen from his lover's hand and adding spiky and messy hair on the sketched out guy on the right. "And finally, didn't you notice that? The one on the left is holding drumsticks!" he concludes, drawing said drumstick in the guy on the left's free hand.

And then he admires his artwork very pleased.

"Dom, you're impossible!" Matt rolls his eyes.

"Well, we were plotting, weren't we?" the blond changes topic.

"Yeah…" the other replies, turning pages again. "So, these are the exits… how are we supposed to leave?" he wonders. "And please, don't you even try to name your bloody time-machine!" he summons him immediately after.

"Ok, also because the time-machine wouldn't help this time. C'mon, let's concentrate, we need an idea, a very good one!" Dom comments.

"For the last time, Matthew, no, no, and fucking NO!" Dom snaps after more than three quarters an hour of the brunet's impracticable suggestions.

"But why? It would be genial!" the other protests.

"It's impossible. We can't have a sort of spaceship and take off directly from the stage. We can't have the damned space skateboards you would also like to use at Wembley. And, mostly, there's no bloody, damn, sodding paralyzing ray that we can use on the crowd!" Dom explains to him, not very patiently.

"It would be so fun!" Matthew sighs unhappily and then he concentrates on the sketch of the Arena again, with the blond.

"Well, I bet that everyone expects us to get out from the exit number One… " Matt starts reckoning seriously.

"Or from the last one. It also would make sense." Dom adds and the other nods, before realization hits him.

"Let's go out from number Fifty-Seven!" the brunet exclaims.

"Why just from number Fifty-Seven?" Dom asks him.

"Because no one expects that. Plus, it's far from both of the main exits. It's a number like the others, nothing special. So, as everyone will wait for us at the main exits…"

"We'll escape from number Fifty-Seven! Yeah, that's brilliant!" Dominic rejoices.

"I'm sure it will work!" the other smiles.

"I think so, too. So, now that we made our plans… can I resume staring at my sketched out version?" the blond asks him eagerly and Matt is just too worn out to complain, so he lets his boyfriend do as he pleases.

TBC

What can I say? All the stuff involving VladyMatt and the infamous Number Fifty-Seven comes from the Muse Show at Verona in 2007, more specifically from all the absurdities my friends and I babbled about on our way back (but VladyMatt popped out from my degenerated mind… and I'm scarily proud of that, lol!)

Of course, I preferred to meet the dear guys instead of receiving this mad inspiration, but… whatever, lol!

About VladyMatt and his dark attitude... here's a couple of pics (pleeease , notice his pointed canines on the second one and it's not a photo-shop work.. aaaah! ;D )

http:/ i16. /albums/b18/ PandoraTheory /47638202 MatthewBelamy. jpg

http:/ i21. /albums/b257/ Lady_Lazarus_ / Random/ astoria43el .jpg

Well, in case you didn't notice, I have a thing for Vampire Matt… and I know that sooner or later I'll write something about it (oh, wait, I'm already doing that, lol! )

You know, I guess this is one of my favourite chapters of the whole fic, so I really, really hope you'll like it! ;)


	19. XIX A: What if I told you?

Thank you sooooooooooooo much to whoever added this story in their favourite , it means a lot to me! ^^

Summary of the chapter: Matt and Dom put their plan into action and Chris lends a hand.

Chapter XIX: What If I Told You… (A)

Matthew makes the last notes of his guitar echo, letting them ring, as small flames burst out from the edge of the stage, with some glistening lights, too.

It's the sign that that was really the last song of their show.

"Goodnight, Los Angeles, it was nice to have you here tonight!" Matt exclaims, greeting the crowd.

"Maybe are we gonna see some of you even at tomorrow's show?" Dominic wonders as he gets up from the drum-kit, happy when he hears the positive rumbling from some areas of the Forum.

"Awww, that's so nice from you." the blond grins as he waves his hand, before leaving.

-Too bad that we won't be that nice with you, tonight…- Matthew ponders, as he heads to the dressing room.

After a quick shower and changing of clothes, the trio is ready.

There's no need to tell that Dominic and Matthew have dressed properly for their celebration: the first wears black pants and a white jacket with a T-shirt with white and black straps under, which is an impeccable match; the second wears blue pants with a very particular shirt, not only for the very intricate white drawing on the collar, but mostly because, depending on light it oscillates between blue, black and purple, without making clear which is real colour.

Dominic could spend hours trying to define it, if only he hadn't another priority, like to take that shirt off Matt as soon as possible.

Chris stands in a corner, all engrossed in thinking about what to say to their fans who inevitably will question him about their disappearance.

After establishing that they have stared at each other long enough, Matt and Dom think about what to do.

"Let's check if the coast is clear. I'm gonna look at the main exits, very carefully. You'll check the number fifty-seven and then we'll meet again here, okay?" Matt suggests and they part.

After something more than ten minutes Dom comes back and finds Matt who has been waiting for him.

"There you go, finally! So, were there fans at number fifty-seven? Because the main exits are so damn crowded, but lucky for me nobody saw me. Bloody Hell, aren't people supposed to stay here and listen to My Chemical No-Sense?" the brunette snorts.

"It's My Chemical *Romance*!" the blond corrects him, kinda annoyed. "Anyway, just like you supposed, number fifty-seven is deserted…" he informs him.

"So, why the hell did it take you so damn long?" Matt gets nervous.

"Well, on the way back, I found a couple of fans in the corridors and signed their CDs." Dom explains.

"But you weren't supposed to stop to talk with the fans, not even for a few minutes!" Matt scolds him.

"I know… but they said 'Please, Dom, come here, you are beautiful!'. I just had to stop!" the other justifies.

"So? I keep telling you that you're beautiful!" the brunette protests.

"So what? Do you want an autograph, too?" the blond teases him.

"Dom!" Matt snaps.

"Okay, okay, let's go." Dom takes him by the hand, crossing with him the very deserted number fifty-seven exit, totally undisturbed and reaching the taxi that is already waiting for them.

"It was even too easy!" Matt comments as he closes the car door.

"You're right. Let's go back and make things harder!" Dom jokes as he pretends to open the car door again.

"Very funny. Let's just go away from here. Please, driver, take us to the beach!" Matt asks politely, but the taxi-driver turns to him, looking at him puzzled, just like Dom does.

"Matthew, honey, do you have the slightest idea about how many beaches there are in this place?" Dom patiently try to make him reason out.

"Uh! You're right. Well, I mean the one where we have already set everything up!" Matthew specifies, but the driver stares at him even more puzzled than before.

"Matthew, dear, let me guess. You don't remember the name of the beach anymore, do you?" Dom questions him and Matt goggles as he slowly shakes his head negatively, just like a child.

"What if I told you that I do?" Dom smiles at him.

"Oh, Dommie, what would I do without you?" the brunette murmurs.

"Probably you would get lost everywhere!" the blond chuckles, before giving the proper info to the driver, as he caresses his mate's left leg, taking advantage of the seat that hides them.

*********************************** (In the meantime)

Chris has finally decided to go out and face the crowd. The first groups of fans immediately catch sight of him, calling all the other fans and going towards him.

"Chris, please, Chris, come here!" the fans call him out loud and the bassist can't help pleasing them.

He poses for several pictures, signs CDs, rucksacks, T-shirts, books and every kind of stuff and then gets ready for the unavoidable question the fans are about to ask him.

"Hey, Chris, where are Matt and Dom? Why aren't they here with you?"

The bassist concentrates for some seconds, before answering as planned.

"I'm sorry, people, but Matt and Dom won't be here tonight." he announces, noticing the immediate change of mood in his listeners.

"Why?" some girls wonder. As the news spread, one by one the other fans leave, until only a limited group of girls remains.

"Because, you know, their girlfriends made a surprise to them and came here yesterday, at night. So, as you can imagine, now they want to spend with them as much time as possible. That's why they left earlier than usual." he explains, no matter how he hates telling lies.

"Oh. Well, that's so nice from their girlfriends!" a girl sighs.

"What about tomorrow? Are they gonna stop here after the show?" another girl wonders.

"Sure! Their girlfriends will leave tomorrow in the afternoon. So, Matt and Dom will stop here, after the show, to spend some time with you. This is a promise!" Chris assures.

"So, Chris, aren't you envious, at least a little bit?" a girl asks him.

"Why?" he narrows his eyes.

"I mean, Matt and Dom's girlfriends paid a visit to them. What about your wife? Isn't she here with you?" she questions him.

"Nope, she is at home, with the kids, you know…" he justifies her.

"Well, fresh news, buddy, there are people called baby-sitters!" the girl makes him notice.

"But…"

"Admit it, Chris, it seems that Matt and Dom's partners care about them more than your partner cares about you!" another girl states.

-Oh, c'mon, it's fake. They're not here for real. So, they don't care more than Kelly. So… why am I so unsure now?- the poor Chris wonders, as doubts overwhelm him.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back." he takes leave, coming back to his dressing room.

He dials the number that he uses to dial every single day, even more than once a day, and waits for the answer from the other side.

"Hello?"

"Kelly?" her husband whines.

It's enough to make her figure his mood out.

"C'mon, tell me, what happened this time?" she patiently asks him.

"Do you love me?" he questions her, almost crying.

"Nope, I don't. Truth is that we've been together for all these years just because I find extremely funny having babies from you!" she answers sardonically. "Of course I love you, you, ninny! What bloody kind of question is it?" she snaps immediately after.

"Just like that…" he mumbles.

"Christopher?" his wife questions him.

"What if I told you that Gaia and Jessica are here?"

"Ok, they are there. So?"

"Well, you're not…" he whimpers.

"Chris, do you really think that to be there with you would be the way to show you that I care?" she strikes back.

"N...no?" he answers so uncertainly that it becomes a question.

"Hell nope! It wouldn't prove you anything. I mean, it's nice to follow you on tour, but just once in a while, because I understand that you need some privacy and need to be left on your own, also to spend some time with your fans. So, to keep following you relentlessly as Gaia and Jess do, well... it's way too exaggerate. It's almost as if they didn't trust in their boyfriends, so they keep following them in order to control them constantly. But this can be so frustrating that if the girls keep acting this way… I'm afraid they'll end up losing them." she explains.

-Oh well, that has already happened, a month ago.- Chris thinks, being very careful not to say that out loud.

"Anyway, honey, since they're there, when you see them can you please say hello from me?" his wife adds.

"To whom?" her husband wonders, confused.

"To Jess and Gaia, you, ninny!" Kelly snorts.

"Oh, yeah, sure, of course; but… they're not here." he confesses.

"But you told me they were there!" his wife protests, puzzled.

"No, honey, I said 'What *if I told you* that Gaia and Jessica are here?'" her husband points out.

"So, let me see if I got it straight: you complained to me, even tried to make me feel guilty, for something that actually didn't happen?" she questions him, the volume of her voice increasing as she begins losing her patience.

"Exactly, but… why does it sound so awful described by you?" her husband wavers.

"Christopher Anthony Wolstenholme, you…" his wife roars.

Chris knows very well that whenever she uses his full name is never a good sign, as well as he knows that he can place the mobile on the table and gather all his stuff left in the dressing room, because once he's done he will find Kelly on the phone, still engrossed in insulting him good and proper.

This time not even his famous, providential book will help him make things right.

Once they arrive to the beach, not before giving a very generous tip to the taxi driver, mostly to reward him for his patience, Dominic and Matthew wander hand in hand along the isolated beach, lightened only by the moonlight, the stars and some candles on a table.

And just like they have said before, everything is already set up: on the table there are sandwiches, chips, pop-corns and several snacks, a mini-bar with beers, champagne and every kind of alcoholic stuff. And there is a cake, too.

"Is it just my imagination or when we ordered that cake it didn't have all this whipped cream?" Matthew wonders.

"You're right. Let's say that I personally asked to add some more." Dominic confesses as he dips his finger into the whipped cream.

"Why?" the other asks him naively as the blond unbuttons his iridescent shirt, placing the cream along the left side of his neck and licking it off his way, making the frontman moan.

"Here's your answer." Dominic whispers.

"Well, Mattie, are we going to have our toast or what?" he exclaims, walking towards the mini-bar and drawing out the champagne.

As soon as Matthew recovers, he helps him, taking two flute glasses.

Dom opens the bottle and fills the flute glasses with the precision of a maître and then they make them collide lightly.

"To our first month, the first one of a long series." Matthew murmurs as he leans closer to his boyfriend, until his forehead rests against his.

"A very, very, very long series…" the blond moans, crossing the flutes, to make each one drink from the others' flute.

Matthew is about to fill the second glass, but Dom stops him.

"Wait. I can't let the alcohol overwhelm you… at least, not yet!" he explains.

"Why?" the other wonders.

Dominic leaves and then he comes back, holding a deep blue, acoustic guitar.

"As you can see, clothes are not the only stuff I've bought today. This is for you!" he says, giving the guitar to him.

"Oh my, Dommie, it's wonderful, thank you so much. Plus, it matches my shirt, too!" Matt smiles as he analyzes the instrument, minutely.

"Well, that's only a coincidence. Anyway, if you think you're wearing that for long, you're such a poor ingénue, my dear!" Dom 'threatens' him.

"Shut up! You wear more clothes than I do. At least you could take off your jacket!" Matthew incites him and Dom pleases him, taking it off and folding it carefully, placing it on the bench close to the table.

"Now, that's better!" the brunette smiles satisfied, as he checks that all the guitar chords are perfectly tuned. "I like it a lot. How did you know that I would like it?" he asks him.

"It's a guitar. It works. You like it!" the drummer answers telegraphic, making the brunette laughs, but then he become serious again.

"Dominic, why did you buy a guitar for me? It's not that I lack them…" he questions the blond.

"What? Can't I buy a gift for my boyfriend?" the other shrugs, showing indifference.

"Dom?" Matt insists, as he tries not to think about the shiver running down his spine whenever Dom calls him 'his boyfriend '.

"Okay, okay. What if I told you that I want you to sing?" the other confesses.

"Dom, I've already done that not longer than one hour ago…" the guitarist comments, confused.

"Yep, but not for me. You've never sung for me so far. I mean, you even sang for Chris!" the blond protests.

"Don't get jealous now!" the brunette chuckles, placing the guitar on the sand, to get closer to him and caress his face with the back of his hand.

"Do you want me to sing for you, my Dommie?" he whispers as he skims his lips with his own.

"I don't want it. I expect it!" the other strikes back as he annihilates that minimal distance with a kiss that doesn't take long to become more demanding.

"Okay, I'll do it." Matt announces, as he's about to take his guitar, but Dom stops him.

"Not so fast, boy!" he exclaims, dragging him to himself to utterly unbutton his shirt, taking it off.

"Now, that's better!" he quotes Matt's previous sentence on purpose, with a satisfied expression, before folding the shirt with the same care he reserved to his own jacket.

Sat on the sand, with is legs crossed, shirtless, holding the guitar on his lap as his sapphire eyes stare at the blond, his face brightened up by the moonlight and the stars.

Matthew has never seemed more beautiful to Dominic.

(End part A)

Since I'm evil, but mostly since the chapter would be really too long, this time I split it in two.

And in the next part you'll see our beloved guys having lots of fun… but not only!

Ok, it's clothes' time:

About Matt's (lovely) shirt:

http :/i56. tinypic. com /s 15j0h .jpg

About Dom's (lovely) stripped t-shirt

http :/ www. / gallery/data/media / 377/735093 .jpg

Hope you'll still like it, but whatever you think about it just tell me, pwetty pleeeeaseee!

p.s. for the one who read that story, too, later I'm going to update 'Just a little bit ' ;)


	20. XIX B: What if I told you?

Summary of the chapter : Matt and Dom enjoy their special night. But..

Chapter XIX (B) : What If I Told You…

Too bad that his beautiful boyfriend doesn't seem to get around to playing.

"What?" the blond wonders, sitting in front of him.

"You know, there's a price to pay to hear the song. " the brunette warns him "Your t-shirt!" he adds, winking at him.

Dominic realizes his intentions and takes it off, throwing it on the sand.

Pleased by what he's seeing, Matthew is about to pluck the first chord, but he immediately stops when he sees the blond get up.

"Bloody hell, Dominic! You're gonna spoil the atmosphere if you carry on this way!" the frontman snorts, as he watch his boyfriend pick his t-shirt from the ground, dust it down with a proper shake and fold it with a great care.

"Mattie, try to understand… it's a Dior t-shirt!" the drummer justifies as he places it on the bench, before coming back to his mate and sitting down.

Matthew shakes his head with a smile and then he finally starts playing, as he plucks the chords one by one and slides his fingers along the frets.

No matter how pleasant it is, Dominic has never heard such a version of that song that he has already recognized, even before Matt starts sings.

BREAK ME IN AND TEACH US TO CHEAT  
AND TO LIE AND COVER UP WHAT SHOULDN'T BE SHARED  
AND THE TRUTH IS UNWINDING SCRAPING AWAY  
AT MY MIND, PLEASE STOP ASKING ME TO DESCRIBE

Dominic lets the music lull him as he listens to the silky voice of the guitarist, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment even better. 

FOR ONE MOMENT I WISH YOU'D HOLD YOUR STAGE  
WITH NO FEAR AT ALL  
OPEN MINDED, I'M SURE I USED TO BE SO FREE

The chorus is edited, without screams nor falsettos, just to adjust it better to the soft arrangement, but that doesn't mean that is less beautiful than the original one.

SELF-EXPRESSED, EXHAUSTING FOR ALL  
TO SEE AND TO BE WHAT YOU WANT AND WHAT YOU NEED  
AND THE TRUTH IS UNWINDING SCRAPING AWAY  
AT MY MIND, PLEASE STOP ASKING ME TO DESCRIBE

FOR ONE MOMENT I WISH YOU'D HOLD YOUR STAGE  
WITH NO FEAR AT ALL  
OPEN MINDED, I'M SURE I USED TO BE SO FREE 

Dominic opens his eyes again, in order to see his partner as he faces the most difficult part.

This time he's Matthew who keeps his eyes close, with an ecstatic smile that almost makes Dom instantly jealous of the music that is enrapturing his boyfriend.

Just before singing the last sentences, Matthew pops his eyes open and the sweet, charming smile he casts at Dominic annihilates the blond's ridiculous jealousy at all.

WASH ME AWAY, CLEAN YOUR BODY OFF ME  
ERASE ALL THE MEMORIES, THEY ONLY BRING US PAIN  
AND I'VE SEEN ALL I EVER NEED

Matthew ends the song, without breaking eye-contact with Dominic, not even for a second, before plucking the very last note.

Dom claps his hands at him.

"Oh, Matty, it was wonderful, you were so incredible… " he congrats, as he stops his clapping. "But it didn't fit!" he adds, pouting.

"It didn't fit? Gee, Dominic, did you listen at it? The lies, the truth that shouldn't be shared, the desire to be free, even just for one moment, the need, the… " Matthew starts rambling.

"Yeah, but… what about the 'erase all the memories ' part? I didn't like it one bit!" the blond explains.

"Oh, Dommy, no, no! You misunderstood, it's not the memories about us. I meant the memories of our girlfriends. If the past didn't exist, there would be no consequences to face. " Matthew clarifies, as he places the guitar on the ground to hug the blond, letting one hand sink in the softness of his hair.

"Oh, so it was just that!" Dom figures out, as he plays with Matt's hair-creamed hair.

"Of course, it was just that, it couldn't be any different!" Matthew reassures him, before kissing him.

"Mm.. whatever, it didn't fit well anyway!" Dom grumbles at the end of their kiss, parting from Matt.

"Damn you, Dom! If you didn't like it you could stop me at the beginning, at least! And I'm such a dick-head for choosing one of the longest and most difficult songs both to play and sing of our discography!" Matthew snaps and the he notices the smile that the blond can't hide anymore.

"Oh, Mattie, c'mon! Haven't you realize yet that I'm just kidding? Of course, I liked it. I loved every second of it. " Dominic reveals. "So much that I would love to hear another one. " he goes on as he caresses Matt behind his ears, one of his most sensitive spots.

"Aawww… another one? But, Dommie… we have performed a whole concert… " Matt attempts to protest, but then, without stopping his way to caress him, Dominic lets one of his hands slide on the crotch of the brunette's jeans , slipping between his tights and making him startle.

"C'mon, Matty, I'm gonna be very grateful if you do that, you know." the blond cuts him off, before kissing him again, fiercely, as he rubs his hand against Matt's length, through the fabric of his pants.

"Okay, Dom, you won, I'll do that, but not more than one song, got it?" Matthew surrenders

After all, after the blond's attentions he has no choice.

Dom nods with a huge grin, allowing him to take his guitar and then he crouches close to him on the ground.

- Let's see ... what I could sing to him? Maybe 'Exo Politics '. Oh, c'mon, is that a love song? You, idiot! Maybe 'Can't take my eyes off of you ' or 'Endlessly '. No, wait, no way. He expects that and I'm anything but predictable. Uhmm, maybe 'Shrinking Universe ' ? Yeah, right, that would be just perfect; I can already picture the whole scene in my mind: I sing 'And I'll fix your imperfections ' and he yells at me 'I HAVE NO IMPERFECTIONS! ' 'till dawn! - Matthew ponders as he takes his eyes from his guitar to his boyfriend who strangely doesn't seem to be impatient.

- Alright! I've finally found the proper one. And I'm such a dick-head once again, since I chose another very long and difficult song, mostly because usually it's the piano the main instrument. Well, let's see how it turns out... - the brunette decides as he starts plucking the chords in the attempt of creating the same melody he usually does with the piano.

Matthew manages to do that so well that Dom immediately recognizes that song, beaming blissfully to let his mate know how much he appreciates that choice.

LIPS ARE TURNING BLUE  
A KISS THAT CAN'T RENEW  
I ALWAYS DREAM OF YOU  
MY BEAUTIFUL

TIP TOE TO YOUR ROOM  
A STARLIGHT IN THE GLOOM

Dominic is almost tempted to make the backing vocals that repeats the same sentences, but Matthew realizes that and summons him not to do that just with an intimidating look.

I ALWAYS DREAM OF YOU  
AND YOU NEVER KNEW

Dominic listens to him, thinking at the beginning of their love story, when they started realizing the nature of the feelings they had towards each other, with the mutual fear that they weren't requited by the other. 

SING FOR ABSOLUTION, I WILL BE SINGING  
AND FALLING FROM YOUR GRACE

Matthew smiles at him, before starting the second verse.

THERE 'S NOWHERE LEFT TO HIDE  
IN NO ONE TO CONFIDE  
THE TRUTH BURNS DEEP INSIDE  
AND WILL NEVER DIE

LIPS ARE TURNING BLUE  
A KISS THAT CAN'T RENEW  
I ALWAYS DREAM OF YOU  
MY BEAUTIFUL

SING FOR ABSOLUTION, I WILL BE SINGING  
AND FALLING FROM YOUR GRACE

As Matt sings, both of them can't help thinking about how right that song is , especially about the part involving the hidden truth, a hidden truth that sooner or later they'll make the world find out, getting ready for every kind of consequence.

OUR WRONGS REMAIN UNRECTIFIED  
AND OUR SOULS WON'T BE EXHUMED 

Matthew ends the song flawlessly, plucking the very last chord and placing the guitar on the sand.

"So, Dom, I guess it's time for you to show me your thankfuln.. " Matthew incites him, but he doesn't even have the time to finish his sentence, because Dominic jumps on him, laying him down

on the sand as he crawls upon him, before sealing their lips together.

The blond's hands caresses every inch of the brunette's chest, before remembering that there's a better way to enjoy it.

A little bit unwillingly, he gets up, leaving Matt puzzled and disappointed, but he grins in anticipation when he sees Dom coming back to him, holding the cake.

Dom places the cake on the guitar near them and crawls back onto Matt's lap.

He stretches his arm in order to get a handful of whipped cream that he smears on the frontman's smooth chest, with particular attention to his nipples where he places two little humps of cream.

"So, do you like what you see?" Matt challenges him from below, enjoying the sensation of that warm cream on his body, but knowing that he will enjoy even more the sensation of Dom's rough tongue on his skin.

"Yummy, creamy Mattie!" the drummer hums, before licking all the cream away, following the line he has traced, from his belly to his Adam's apple, leaving the nipples as the icing of the cake.

Matt moans in pleasure, especially when Dom finally gives the proper attention to his left nipple, sucking hard on it, before doing the same with the right nipple, when he ends up giving it a tiny nip.

"Dom!" Matt gasps, in total bliss.

"Oh, baby, you taste fantastic!" Dom smiles at him, as he deals with the zipper of Matt's jeans and when he undoes them, he found a very pleasant surprise.

"Oh my, the hot pink boxers!" he rejoices.

"Yeah, I'd never thought they would be so fast with the delivery. " the brunette smiles as he caresses the blond's chest. "What if I told you that there's another pair waiting for you, in our room?'" he reveals to him.

"Oh, god! Really? The only thought gives me an orgasm!" the other confesses, excited.

"Well, my dear, get ready, 'cause you're gonna have a real orgasm, maybe even more than one!" Matt warns him , before switching positions and getting on top of him and then he gets rid of his partner's black pants, finding something unexpected.

"Bloody hell! No boxers!" he cheers.

"Yep, here's my surprise for you. See? I'm ready for use!" Dom smiles at him and the smile turns into a beam when he sees Matt take two handfuls of whipped cream from the cake.

"Oh, you're such a bad boy and I'll take advantage of that!" the singer warns him with a devilish look.

"Uh-uh! What are you gonna do?" Dom wonders, as he pretends to be concerned and then he jolts when Matt grabs his already hard and throbbing cock that is begging for attention, covering it all with cream.

"I'm gonna enjoy my very special Banana Split!" Matt sneers, right before turning theory into practice.

And when he does Dom throws his head back, groaning in astonishing delight.

After a lot of sex, and a huge amount of alcohol, too, the two lovers gather all their stuff and leave that beach.

They decide to take a walk towards their hotel, since it's not very far from there, plus the late night prevents them from the chance of meeting some fans.

They resort to the very few sense of direction still left in them and walk hugged together, staggering a little.

Once in a while, they stop just to exchange some quick kisses.

"Jessssssshhica!" Matt slurs, after one of said kisses.

"Heeeeeey! After all we ssshared, I eeeexpected ya didn't think aboooooout a gurl when ya're wih meeeee. And if ya really haaave to think about a gurl … at leaaaaaaaast choose yourrrrs!" Dom slurs.

"Ya, idiot! I meant thaaat ya haven't called Jesssshica, ya haven't beeeeen calling her fow thwee days! Aren't ya going to make her doooubtful?" Matt points out.

"Oooh, it's juuust that. Well, I'm not calling herrr on purrrrpouse , 'cause if sheee hasn't been hearing froooom me for some days, sheee'll probably begin thinking that everything's not sooo ok as it used to be before!" Dominic explains.

"Oooh, well done. Instead, I keeeep telling Gaaaaaaaia that I misssh her terribly and I wiiish she was here, so she woooon't worry about everything!" Matthew reveals.

They stop walking abruptly, since the flashing, neon sign of a shop that is still open drags their utter attention.

"Babe, are ya thinking what I'm thinking?" Dom winks at his boyfriend and he nods, very eagerly.

Half an hour later, the two lovers reach their hotel, satisfied by their bright idea.

They find Chris in the hall, sat on one of the sofas and as soon as he sees them he walks towards them, visibly agitated.

"Wassssssup, Chrissy? Are ya going to act like an apprehensive father who waits for his kids to come back home?" Matt makes fun of him.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that 'Chrissy ' , only because you're scarily drunk! Anyway, there's no time for jokes, guys. What if I told you that your girlfriends are here?" their friend warns them.

"Gee, Chriiss, you were supposed to say that just to our fans. I guuuesss you got into character waaayy too much!" Dom makes fun of him.

"Chris is right, honey. " a female voice exclaims, a voice that Dom knows terribly well.

"You should trust in Chris' word a little bit more, love… " another female voice exclaims, a voice that Matt knows painfully well.

The two guys are so shocked that they instantly sober up, as they silently thank their lucky stars for not getting in the hall still hugged or kissing each other, because in front of them there are just Jessica and Gaia, as they go downstairs together, before approaching to their boyfriends, greeting them in unison.

"Hi, guys!"

TBC

This is what I call an evil cliff-hanger! * sneers wickedly *

Disclaimer : the song Matthew played in this chapter are obviously 'Citizen Erased ' and 'Sing for Absolution ' , by Muse. About their different, acoustic arrangement here … well.. I'm sure that Matt can do stuff like that and many other amazing things! ^^

Hope you'll still like it, but feel free to tell me everything!


	21. XX: Just like the most

Summary of the chapter: The charade begins, but how long will it last?

Chapter XX: Just Like The Most Predictable Ending

Without being seen, Matthew tries to pinch himself hard, as Dominic closes and squeezes his eyes, blinking, more than once, but both of those methods are just utterly useless, since the two girls are still standing in front of them and they don't seem to intend to disappear with the touch of a magic wand.

So the two guys just have to make the best of a bad thing.

"Gaia, dear! What a nice surprise!" Matt smiles, as he hugs her, but she's faster than him and steals a kiss that he's forced to answer to.

"Well, honey, you kept saying 'I wish you were here, I wish you were here', so now your wish came true!" she smiles at him as she plays with his hair-gelled locks.

-'Nightmare' would be the proper word!- Matt ponders, but he disguises everything with a nod, of course.

"Instead, since I haven't heard from you for more than three days… well, I just had to check out that you didn't forget me due to another girl, my dear philanderer!" Jessica exclaims, punching Dom's shoulder playfully and patting him on the cheek, right before she follows her best friend's example and claims what it's hers… or at least she still thinks so.

"Honey, that's impossible." Dominic murmurs, at the end of their kiss.

-It's because of *a boy* that I forgot you!- he adds, but only in his mind, of course.

Chris stares at the two couples so matched and has the strong feeling that if he doesn't intervene with something, anything, to say, soon there will be a tension without precedent.

"Hey, girls, Kelly says hi!" he informs them, as he wonders dreadfully with what courage he will inform his beloved wife that what he had made her believe it was true when it was fake actually became true for real.

"What? Oh, right, I tend to forget she's not here." Gaia replies absently.

"What do you mean? Kelly loves me and it's not just due to the fact that she likes having babies with me! So, end of the bloody speech!" Chris snaps, remembering what the fans told him.

"Gee, Chris, calm down!" Gaia snaps. "Honey, what did I say wrong?" she goes on, calmer, looking at Matthew.

"Don't mind him. Sometimes this guy is a total mystery for us all..." Matt states.

"Hey, speaking of mystery, why the hell Dom's room is empty and all his things are stuffed in Matt's room?" Jessica wonders.

"Hell yeah, this is a very damn good question!" Gaia agrees as both of the girls stares inquisitively at their boyfriends with puzzled expressions.

Dom and Matt look at each other, looking for a believable explanation that doesn't seem to pop out from their minds. As they got panic-stricken and are about to surrender, declaring that the games are over, someone else comes promptly to the rescue.

"Actually, it's my fault. I asked Dom to do that!" Chris admits.

"You did... what?" Gaia wonders in astonishment.

"For what wicked reason did you ask them to share the same room?" Jessica frowns.

"Please, don't get me wrong. There's a damn good reason why I did. Since Dom's room is next to mine and I didn't want him to wake me up when he would be back... I suggested Dom to move to Matt's room that it's far away from mine. Well, this was pretty useless, since I'm still awake and it's almost dawn!" Chris makes them notice, with a yawn.

"Okay, but... why did Dom take all his stuff there?" Gaia asks them in disbelief.

"That's simple, my dear. I can be very doubtful about what to wear the day after, it's never something I plan before; quite the contrary, it's something that comes out after hours and hours of changing clothes." Dom rushes to explain.

"Yeah, I can say for sure that Dom's trials takes much longer than the band's ones!" Matt agrees.

"I can confirm that, too. Whenever we date, although I'm always late, well, he's always later than me!" Jessica assures, pretending to glare at Dominic, as Gaia stares at Matthew with renewed trust.

Matthew is annoyed by hearing about the dates between Jessica and *his* Dominic, but he tries his best not to show that.

"Sorry, but I'd like to point out the fact that it's almost dawn and it's almost a miracle that half Hotel hasn't gone downstairs to kick us out! In a word… does it really disappoint you the eventuality of going to bed?" Chris makes them notice.

"You have some points, after all. The flight has been kinda stressful, maybe it's the jet-lag that kept us awake so far!" Jessica admits as Gaia confines herself to nod.

"That's right. Let's do things this way: you stay here as Dom, Chris and I go to fix the rooms!" Matthew announces, walking towards the elevator, followed by Chris and Dominic.

"Thank you so much, Chris, you've been phenomenal, buddy, you really saved our asses!" Dominic exclaims as he hugs his friend, as soon as the closed sliding doors of the elevator give them the proper privacy.

"Yeah, I just wonder… how did such a genial explanation pop out from your mind?" Matt gets curious, before hugging him as well.

"I don't know, guys, probably when I'm falling asleep on my feet I have skills that astonish even myself! Anyway, now you two owe me a favour!" Chris states as the elevator keeps going on, floor after floor, until they reach their floor.

"Sure, mate, even more than one!" Matt and Dom assure, almost in unison.

"Fine. Then, the first one is... try not to be too noisy, goodnight!" Chris greets them, getting in his room like a sleepwalker.

The other two walk towards Matthew's room, the only place that at that time of day (or night) seems to allow them to have a sort of dialogue, but in a low voice.

"'If I keep writing to her 'I wish you were here, I wish you were here' she will be calm'… well, congratulations, Matt, we saw how calm she is!" Dominic snaps as he gathers his stuff at random.

"Well, well, words from Mr. 'If -she- doesn't –hear- from- me -she'll –understand', we saw the brilliant results of that!" Matt strikes back as he helps him.

"Ok, we are even, we're both dick-heads! Anyway, now we'll have to play the perfect boyfriends part with the girls…" the brunet points out.

"So, dick-heads and bloody, shameful liars, too!" Dominic comments, kinda upset.

"Dommy, I already explained that to you, it's not an evil lie, it's just a truth we have to delay but for a good reason, until we have the necessary calm to face everything pwoperly…" Matt clarifies, comforting him.

"Right!" Dominic recognizes with a sigh, as he carries his bags beyond the threshold.

"Except for sharing the same room and kissing, there shouldn't be anything else compromising for us, right?" Matt makes sure of it.

"Nope, whatever else could there be? Maybe a video of what we've done on the beach tonight, but it's not possible, we haven't shot any video... which is a pity. Damn, it could be such a good idea!" the blond regrets.

"Well, let's keep it in mind for our next month anniversary! Anyway, Dom... I don't know… I have the strange feeling that we did something tonight, but I really can't recall what it is." Matt confesses, as he scratches his chin with a finger.

"This is one of main consequences of getting dead drunk as we did! You know what? I have this strange feeling, too, but I'm sure it's nothing, just a joke of our imagination." Dominic shrugs. "Coming back to the important stuff, what about a little kiss before we start the charade?" he adds, leaning to his listener who backs off and gently places a finger on his already parted lips.

"No, Dom, we'd better not. If I kissed you… I'm afraid I couldn't stop anymore!" Matthew sighs as he leaves the room with him, before each one goes to take the respective girlfriend.

Twenty minutes later, everything is settled up, every couple is in the respective bed of the respective room, ready to throw themselves in the arms of Morpheus.

When all the lights are turned off, Gaia rolls towards Matthew, getting on the top of him and placing her lips on his for a chaste goodnight kiss.

Too bad that Matt is already half sleepy.

"Dom…" he murmurs contently, but he immediately recognizes the taste of Gaia's lips, her long, waved hair almost whipping his chest in a fit of anger and mostly her body becoming tense in annoyance.

He immediately battens down the hatches.

"What's wrong, dear? I said 'home'. You make me feel at home!" he moans languidly as he caresses both her face and hair.

"Aaawwwww, Matthew!" the girl squeals softened, hugging him tight and then she goes back to her side of the bed, cursing herself for jumping to the wrong conclusions.

Matthew congratulates himself for his clever and prompt answer.

It's not due to the sunshine typical of 11:00 in the morning.

Dominic wakes up due to a daring and impudent hand that is making its own way through his boxers, crossing the fabric and getting in touch with what there's inside.

Although he's awake, his eyes are still closed, but the worst thing is that his mind is still blurry, so he ends up associating that gesture to the wrong person.

"Mm... Matt… " he groans happily, almost purring, and then he pops his eyes open, coming face-to-face with Jessica's shocked, puzzled and pissed-off expression. "..ers. I said that you are all that really matters!" he's in a tight spot, realizing in record time what situation he is into and smiling at her, sweetly.

Dominic realizes he's avoided the crisis though it was a narrow squeak, because Jessica grins at him, before kissing him hard, making him clearly understand that she won't stop just there.

-C'mon, my dear, pretend that it's Matt. Oh, yeah, sure. Long, silky hair, prosperous boobies, that certain thing between her legs, yeah… definitely it's Matt!- Dominic thinks disheartened, already knowing that he can't make any resistance.

************************ (In the meantime)

They aren't the only couple who is getting down. Remembering what he told her before sleeping, once she woke up, Gaia has decided she has to thank Matthew, her way.  
It's almost comic: there are hundreds time when Matt craved that but Gaia found thousands of excuses not to give herself to him; and just when he doesn't want it anymore, Matthew is forced to satisfy a very horny Gaia.

-C'mon, boy, it's just like a song from 'My Terrible Lost Chance': sooner or later it has to end. Probably it has the same duration...- Matt thinks listlessly, as he tries his best to welcome Gaia's movements and when they end, surprisingly, she seems to be rather pleased.

Matthew gets up from the bed, in order to have a shower. Gaia lets him do as he pleases, but then she's enlightened by the idea of following him there, to get a juicy encore.  
Too bad that she notices something that makes her stop in front of the shower, something that she immediately sees as soon as she gets a full view of her boyfriend's naked body, something that she hadn't a chance to get before.

"Please, tell me that it's just a joke!" she summons him, icily.

Matthew jolts both due to the surprise and what she has said, but as soon as he looks better at himself, he sees something that suddenly makes him recall everything of the previous night.

-Dom and I, dead drunk, late night, that tattoo shop still open, that insane idea of getting a tattoo on our butts, me choosing his and he choosing mine, oh, my god! So, it wasn't just a sick idea... we've done that for real! Thanking our lucky stars, we weren't so drunk to decide to have a permanent tattoo, it's just a henna tattoo. Well, permanent or not, now I'm in big, big trouble!- Matthew realizes, panic-stricken.

"That's it. It's taking you way too fucking long to answer. So, it's not a joke." the girl figures out, shocked.

"I can explain..." Matthew attempts to justifies, as he manages to get off the shower and wear a bathrobe in record time.

"There's a fucking nothing to explain! You're a pervert. You both are perverts! And to think that sometimes Jess and I joked about the fact that you were always together but... I'd never thought that... Ggrrr! For God's sake, Matt, how did you do this to me?" Gaia screams hysterically, starting to throw against him every tool she finds on the shelf near the mirror, even a very expensive after-shave that crashes on the floor, shattering in a thousand pieces, but the bottle of shampoo, the hairbrush, the jar of hair-gel and the hairdryer don't miss their target.

"Ouch! Gaia, we haven't planned that… it just happened!" Matthew barely explains, as he improves his own quickness record also in putting on his clothes and coming back to the bedroom.

"What fucking kind of justification is this? Anyway, tell me, how long has this story been going on? How long have you been fooling Jessica and me?" Gaia asks, angrier and angrier, following him.

"Oh. Well, not for long. Just for a month." he replies, realizing too late his terrible mistake: in that room there's plenty of tons of objects that can turn into dangerous weapons.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO CONFORT ME?" she growls, furiously, grabbing the table lamp to throw it against him, but thanks to his quickness of reflex, Matt dodges the blow.

"Gaia, I know, it wasn't fair towards you, but everything happened so quickly that…" he keeps explaining, as he uses the bed as a sort of blockhouse.

"When the hell did you plan to tell us?" she goes on, grabbing the alarm clock, turning around the bed and throwing it at him before he can escape, hitting his right leg.

"Ouch! We were waiting for the end of the tour, in order to face better the whole situation."

-And mostly to avoid destroying hotel rooms and... ouch... their owners, too !- he thinks as he approaches to her, limping a little bit.

"Anyway, Gaia, let's be honest. Dom or not, truth is that things weren't already working well anymore between us, we just carried on the aftermath of a story that was almost over." he warns her, snatching the phone from her hands, before she throws at him even that.

"Almost. That's the magic word. And you did nothing to try and save our story!" she accuses him.

"What? I've tried to involve you in everything I did, but you always seem to do me a favour every time I take you to my shows or at award ceremonies!" he accuses her.

"Matt, do you have the slightest idea of how many concerts you perform in a year? I'm already fed-up after ten shows! They are always the same... okay, maybe sometimes you change the playlist a little bit, but it doesn't make any difference!" the girl snaps as Matthew looks at her stunned.

"You had never told me that."

"What about the award ceremonies? It's always you and your damn musicians fellows, you never take me to any other social event. Look at our neighbour, he went to Tom Cruise and Kate Holmes' wedding, we didn't!" Gaia goes on with her rant.

"Damn! Don't name that jerk of George. So, are you really saying that you wanted to be at the wedding of that arrogant, stand-offish midget?" he strikes back, annoyed.

"Words from the basketball player!" she hisses, acidly.

"Hey! That's hitting below the belt!" Matt grumbles, since he has always been very touchy about the height.

"Well, it's not my fault, shorty!" she puts the boot in, enjoying his humiliated expression.

The guy becomes more serious and stares at her, deeply in her eyes.

"See? Lately we've been doing nothing but fighting and telling each other mean things, trying to make up with sentences that once were true and sincere, but now they aren't anymore. Not only now, things haven't been working well for a long while, you understand this, don't you?" he makes her think.

Gaia doesn't say a word, lowering her gaze.

"I guess it's really over. Goodbye, Matthew, you were the most special boyfriend I have ever had." she states after some minutes, approaching to him, to give him a chaste kiss that seals their goodbye.

"I'm sure you'll find a guy who is even more special than me." he comforts her.

"Anyway, forget to have back all the gifts you bought to me, especially the ring! Plus, I want another memory of our story..." she warns him, getting off the fragile and tender phase she had fallen into, as she takes a look around, until her eyes find the perfect object.

"I decided. I'll keep the trolley!" she informs him.

"NOOOOO! NEVER! Hands off my Pinkie!" Matthew gets alarmed. "I mean, I need him for my travels!" he justifies as he draws his wallet out from the pocket of his jeans.

"Keep this as a memory." he goes on, giving her one of his credit cards. "It's practically new, so you can buy all the trolleys you want. And much more!"

"Okay, keep your stupid trolley, I prefer the credit card. It has more value… I mean, sentimental value!" the girl states as she puts the card in her pocket, eagerly, as her eyes shine at the thought of using it for filling her 'empty, broken heart' with tons of mad shopping.

"Fine. I'll leave the house before you return from the tour, be sure of that. I'll go back to my parents, or, no, wait, that's even better. I'll stay at Jessica's and…" she announces, but then she stops. " Oh, my God, Jessica! I wonder if she has also found the truth out…" she goes on, rushing outside, at the other side of the corridor, as Matthew follows her.

From Dominic's door, the noises and the screams they can hear give them the confirmation that also Jessica has already made that bitter discovery.

Suddenly, the door slams open and a very terrified Dominic runs away, with a showy black-eye.

"Come here, you, dirty, bloody, fucking, pervert, wicked betrayer! I'm not done with you, yet!" Jessica roars, profoundly mad.

"Matthew, please, save what still remains of myself!" the blondie implores as he uses him as a shield.

"Why does she scare me even more than Chris does?" the brunet grumbles disquietly, ready to protect his beloved anyway.

"So, Jess, you found that out, too!" Gaia distracts her friend from her blind rage.

"Yeah. After all, that tattoo on their butts with their names inside a red heart was too eloquent!" Jessica explains.

"Hey, wait a minute! Their name inside a heart? Well, my dear, you haven't much to complain about, then. Matthew has a tattoo with the written 'Property of Dominic Howard'!" Gaia confesses.

"Oh. Well, you're right. You got the worst of it. Anyway, the main point is that those two worms humiliated us!" Jessica goes on, as she glares frostily both at Dom and Matt.

Drawn by that noisy mess, Chris pops out from his room.

"What the hell is goin.. ?" he slurs, still a little numb with sleep.

Dominic, but mostly Matthew sees him as their sheet anchor.

"You know, truth is that… it was only his fault!" Matthew explains, pointing at the oblivious bassist.

"Yep. Everything started because of an insane idea of his!" Dominic plays his game.

"Oh, my God! Chris, is that true?" Jessica asks him, puzzled.

"True what?" Chris wonders, even more puzzled.

"Yep. He forced us to kiss, and then he did it again. And he likes watching us!" Matthew says, being heavy on that.

"Bells, what the fuck are you blathering about?" Chris snaps, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, buddy, but if my ship sinks I'm gonna take you all with me!" Matt states.

"First, what a great friend you are! Second, damn you, you named again your bloody ships… I'm gonna kill you!" Chris loses his usual temper, ready to fling himself on Matt, but Dominic intervenes promptly, holding him by his t-shirt.

"Hey! We had come to different terms. Matty, *you* were supposed to protect *me* !" the blond complains, as he holds Chris still until he cools down.

"You are so pathetic. You aren't worthy not even a minute of our time. Come on, Gaia, let's go find two men who are worthy! Someone with a *real job*!" Jessica exclaims, turning to Dom, as he rolls his eyes in answer.

"Goodbye, Matt, I'll miss your mone… I mean, the moments we spent together!" Gaia comments, victim of a Freudian slip.

-Yeah, right, I bought to you tons of stuff with my… *moments we spent together!* - Matthew ponders, annoyed, confining himself just to nod.

"Anyway, Chris, you're the worst one! You're the sickest, the most pervert, I can't believe that you really forced them to do such a thing!" Gaia accuses him, as Jessica gathers quickly all their stuff.

"But I didn't…" Chris protests.

"Hey, you two! Say something!" Chris exhorts his friends.

"Why should we? After all, you're defending yourself so well on your own…" Matt makes fun of him.

"Plus, we already did our part. And mostly we've been already beaten up enough… ouch!" Dom adds, massaging his still aching black-eye.

"Don't worry, Dom, after I blackened your second eye, the one you have now will seem unharmed!" Chris threatens him.

"See? You're even such a violent person, so brute! Kelly should be informed that she has chosen as husband such a turbid and depraved guy. We're gonna warn her…" Gaia announces as Jessica reaches her with their bags.

"No, wait, wait! It's just a big, majestic misunderst…" Chris attempts to clarify, but it's too late, since the two girls disappear behind the closed sliding doors of the elevator.

"So, tell me, what should I do to you now?" Chris asks the two lovers, narrowing his eyes at them.

Matthew faces his gaze, bravely.

"Tell us, do you want to stay here wasting time with us… or do you want to save your marriage before it's too late?" he makes him notice.

His only answer, Chris leaves, as he dials the more than usual phone number.

"Kelly, honey? You know how funny Gaia and Jess can be sometimes, don't you? Well, you can't even begin to imagine what they invented this time…" he informs his wife, coming back in his room.

"Oh, my poor, Dommy!" Matt comments, as he gently places his fingertips around the beaten eye.

"I told you that Jessica was aggressive … and yet I believe I've been even too lucky. It could get much worse, trust me!" the other explains. "So, now we've finally faced them and we are free to stay together." he goes on, as he puts his head on Matt's shoulder, noticing that he's observing the elevator, with a thoughtful expression. "What's wrong?" the blond asks him.

"I don't know… I feel like I'm inside one of those sappy movies and when she leaves him, he realizes the big mistake he has made, realizes that she's the only one he really wants and follows her, running down in the street to reach her, asking her to forgive him and give him a second chance." Matthew admits, very seriously.

"Oh, I understand. So, go, go to her, I won't stop you if you want to run down in the street and win her back, just like the most predictable ending." Dominic states, as seriously as well.

The blond gets upset as he watches Matt run towards the elevator, but just when the sliding doors open, the brunet turns and run back to Dom, his serious expression replaced by a smirk.

"Oh, god! I can't believe, you really fell for it!" he exclaims, chuckling.

"So, it was just a joke! Well, it hurt me much more than the black-eye, you know? You're mean!" Dom confesses, with his classic, tender, irresistible pout.

"My sweet, sweet Dominic, there's something I've never told you…" Matt murmurs, as he captures that pout in a short, but very intense kiss. "I've never liked predictable endings too much!"

TBC

See? No cliff-hanger this time, I'm a good girl, am not I? ;P

Of course, I seriously believe that the real lovely Gaia and Jess are nothing like 'these 'hateful ones! ;)

Uhmm , I don't know, maybe I solved things way too superficially, but, c'mon, I mean… this is the kind of story that can't request too much serious stuff!

I hope you'll have fun reading it and you'll like it, but, pleeeease, let me know whatever you think!

P.S: Hold on, this story is almost over! ;) next chapter will be the last one and then there'll be the epilogue.


	22. XXI: You don't know that

Summary of the chapter: Let's let the cat out of the bag!

Chapter XXI: You don't know that...

"So don't' think, not even for a moment, that you can take flight again and elope who knows where, you, lovey-dovey couple. I promised that tonight you're gonna stay, so you gotta stay!" Chris summons his friends, as they are taking a more than deserved break from the sound-check of the afternoon.

"I promise, no more flings." Matt assures, with his best angelic attitude.

Chris is about to say something, but, almost as if the topic was too delicate to face it, he desists, but he's always wavering about it. The others two notice that.

"Wassup, Chris?" Matthew asks him.

"Err... could you let me see them?"

"See what?" Dominic narrows his eyes.

"Well, you know... your compromising tattoos." Chris clarifies, a little bit embarrassed. "It's just that I'm curious... " he adds, as if he wanted to justify himself.

Matt stares at him stunned, just like Dom does.

"No bloody way, buddy!" the first states.

"Chris, what's this sudden, worrying, but mostly insane desire to see our asses?" the second asks him.

"Ah! So, now it's me the one with sick desires! Do I have to remind you what you did last night, you, Mr. 1.000-ways-to-use-whipped-cream?" Chris addresses to the blonde.

Dominic turns pale instantly.

"But... but, how do you..."

"You should know better than me, Matt is such a chatterbox!" Chris comments as Matt is ready to clear off.

"Don't you dare to run!" Dom summons him, stepping in the way and closing the door of the rehearsal room. "Damn you and your damn mouth!" he curses, immediately after.

"Well, yesterday you didn't have to complain much about my mouth, especially when it took off the cream from your body and..." Matt justifies, with a silky voice in the last part.

"Please, guys, stop it! You're crossing the bounds of how much I'm disposed to hear about those kind of topics!" Chris warns them, cooling down their ardour and, for good measure, it's just Chris who incites his friends to resume playing.

Twenty minutes after they're done with the last song on their set-list, but although the others have already put their instruments into their cases, Dom is still bent on the drums, but not for playing.

"Dom, what the hell are you doing?" Chris asks him when he sees him all engrossed staring at a cymbal.

"It looks obvious to me. I'm looking at myself!" the blond replies with a shrug, as he keeps examining his face, very accurately.

"Even in a cymbal?" Chris asks him in disbelief.

"I don't think that there's a surface Dom wouldn't manage to look at himself in!" Matt replies for the drummer.

"Dammit! This black-eye doesn't seem to get any better. People will see it in the spotlight!" Dominic complains.

"So, what's the problem? You dress up like Spiderman every now and then, so you can dress up like a panda. It would draw lots of attention, plus that would justify the black-eye." Chris suggests.

"No way, a panda is too goofy, it doesn't suit me!" he grumbles, insulted, as he crosses his arms on his chest.

"So, you could use a bandage…. You could be a pirate, like Captain Hook!" Chris strikes back.

"Uhmm…nope, I don't picture myself as Captain Hook, but I would be just perfect as Peter Pan, I already have my acid green pants, a green t-shirt, a green beret and I would be ready!" the blond already plans everything, daydreaming, as he has totally forgotten that the dressing up is supposed to help him hide his beaten eye.

"Yeeesss! If you play Peter Pan, I could play… Tinker Bell!" Matt exclaims, overexcited.

"Tinker Bell?" his friends question him, astonished and puzzled.

"Oh, please, don't stare at me like that! A pair of fake wings and a magic wand shaped microphone would suit me so impeccably. Plus, I'm * Bells*, so there could never be someone more perfect than me to play Tinker *Bell*!" he insists.

"Well, don't worry, Bells, it's not that Dom is contending with me for that role, you can keep it!" Chris warns him, as Dom jumps to an important conclusion.

"So, buddy, you'll just have to play Captain Hook!" the blond decides.

"Why just Captain Hook?" Chris narrows his eyes.

"No offence intended, dude, but I just can't picture you as a Lost Boy of NeverLand!" Matt makes fun of him.

"But... how am I supposed to play with a hook?" the bassist made them notice.

"We'll use a symbolic hook, maybe a sticker on one of your basses!" Matt explains.

"Firstly, I don't think that there are stickers like that. Secondly, no… I don't think that Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha would like it if I put stickers on them…" the bassist grumbles.

"What? Did I hear it right? Did you really give your basses women's names?" Matt questions him.

"This is not correct: Chris, did you really name your basses like the four protagonists of 'Sex and the City'?" Dom points out.

As Matt and Dom burst out laughing madly, Chris wishes he had kept silent.

-Lucky for me I didn't tell them that I named my other basses like the main characters of 'Desperate Housewives' and 'The bold and the beautiful'!- he ponders.

Anyway, he knows very well how to make them shut up.

"You shouldn't even talk about that! You, Matt, named your trolley, for God's sake! And you, Dom, you're the worst, since you named even your own reflection!" he strikes back, pungent.

The way Matt is looking at Dominic doesn't need any questions to be asked.

"No, that's not true, I have never named Jamie… oh, shit!" Dom betrayals himself.

"Jamie?" the frontman repeats, very amused.

"Hey! We were talking about my black-eye, weren't we?" the drummer tries to change topic.

"Right. By the way, forget about the concert in disguise, we'll never do such a silly thing!" Chris disenchants them.

"Dommy, I guess the only solution is to rely on a good concealer, a lot of it!" Matt suggests to his boyfriend, as he leans closer to reach his ear. "Can't wait to have another wild meeting in our bed with you… and Jamie!" he winks at him, before leaving the rehearsal room, as Chris follow him.

The concert was great, just like the short meeting with the fans, to take some pictures together, sign stuff and chat a little bit.

It seems that Matthew and Dominic kept their word.

Although they have nothing to do on the day after, except from the flight to take on early evening, Matt and Dom's rest is interrupted by a sudden phone call, at early morning.

Dominic is still trying to convince his body to get up from the bed, as Matthew has already made this effort, so it takes him only five rings, before he realizes which the source of that unbearable noise is and makes it end.

"'llo?" he slurs.

"Guys, come in my room. Tom called, he will be here in a few minutes!" Chris warns them, trying his best not to slur, due to the numbness that still overwhelms him.

This is enough to wake the two lovers up properly and they get ready as fast as they can, in order to face their manager.

Tom makes his entrance, carrying his trolley with him and showing such a tan that he could make a surfer envious.

"Hello guys, how are you?" he cheers, leaving his trolley on the floor and approaching to his friends.

"We are happy to see you and everything, but… what the hell are you doing here?" Dominic asks him, puzzled, as he sits on the bed, next to Matt.

"Well, a proper manager has to verify how his band is going with the shows and stuff like that."

"We tried our best in every single show we performed, the crowd seems to appreciate us a lot, so I guess we are being successful." Chris informs him as he stands in front of the window, taking a glimpse of the view outside, absently.

"What about the collaboration with My Chemical Romance? Did things improve between you and them?" Tom wonders.

"I haven't killed them yet, that's all you need to know about that!" Matt snorts, bored.

Tom is about to say something, but then he changes him mind, hearing a ring from the mobile inside the pocket of his trolley.

"Hey, Tom, look, your mobile is ringing." Chris warns him at the second ring.

"Uh? Are you sure? Uh! That's right, it's ringing." the manager replies with fake nonchalance, in a cold sweat, as he hopes that whoever is calling him will quit it, but at the fifth ring he begins to think he won't be that lucky.

"Wassup? Why don't you answer to the call?" Dom exhorts him, when the rings become seven.

"Well, it's not that important. Whoever it is, he/she will recall. Now I'm talking with you and…" he justifies, more and more agitated, realizing too late that Matthew has already opened the pocket of his trolley, taking possession of his mobile.

"No, Matt, what the hell are you doing?" Tom asks him, turning scarily pale, no matters how tanned he is.

"If you don't wanna answer, I'm gonna do it for you." the frontman decides, as he presses the key to answer, before the tenth ring.

"Hallo? It's… "

"I don't give a fuck to who the hell it is! All I know is that you have a mobile that doesn't belong to you, dammit, you, fucking, ugly, bastard, twat, asshole, stupid, moron, son of a …" someone who Matthew already recognized roars from the other side, before Matthew moves the mobile away, as the speaker keeps cursing.

Matt looks at Tom in awe.

"Tom, just a little inquiry of mine, could you explain to me why *Brian Molko* is barking at me?" he asks him, as Chris did the wisest thing ever, i.e. he presses the key to end that call and, for good measures, he also turns the mobile off.

"Well, because I happen to have his manager's mobile." Tom explains, very innocently.

"And why the hell do you have her mob…" Dominic wonders, before Chris, Matt and he jump to the right conclusions.

"A girl with your same job…" Chris ponders loudly.

"The two bands who'd better never ever find the truth…" Matt recalls.

"That's who you were with: Placebo's manager!" Dom figures out.

"It's just outrageous! You're such an awful betrayer!" Matthew accuses him, with the most hurt expression he can show to him, but it's nothing compared to the hurt expression on Chris' face.

"I can't believe it… you didn't confess that to me! You always tell me everything." the bassist grumbles, deeply disappointed.

"You're right, Chris, but truth is that Gossip is your second name! You wouldn't be able to keep that secret, not even for one hour!" Tom strikes back.

"That's not true, when I try really hard there are secrets that I can keep very well." the other justifies, as he exchange an understanding look with Matt and Dom who confine themselves just to nod.

"Anyway, am I the only one to find that a very beautiful thing? I mean… this is soooo romantic! It reminds me to that little fairytale of 'Romeo and Juliet'. Who knows? Maybe with their forbidden love they will bring peace between the two factions, making them get along with each other." the blonde sighs with a daydreaming attitude, but it takes his soulmate less than half a second to disenchant him.

"Firstly, gee, Dommie, you're really obsessed over 'Romeo and Juliet' . Secondly, I'm sorry for disappointing you, but no-fucking-one will bring peace any-fucking-where, we'll keep merrily hating each other, cause things are perfect the way they are!" the singer swears. "And, thirdly, Dom, I don't think that Mr. Shakespeare would be happy to hear someone call one of his most famous and majestic tragedies … _fairytale_!" he concludes, with a hint of reproach in his tone.

"Oh, c'mon! A boy and a girl flirt, hidden from everyone, in order to make a fool of their parents. A bunch of rhymes, some fights here and there and… ok, there's not a happy ending, but it's a nice fairytale, anyway!" Dom insists.

"Yeah, sure. So, let me see if I got it right: you probably think that Hamlet is only a guy who suffers from a big indecision and holds a skull in his hand, just because he thinks it's cool?" Chris asks him, sarcastically.

"Why, is it not so?" the blonde shrugs, looking kinda bored.

"Oh, God! Dom, you really need a good revision of Shakespearian literature." Matt rolls his eyes.

"Well, if you offer to be my private teacher, *very private*, I'll take the lessons more than willingly." Dominic replies mischievously, winking at Matthew.

Tom looks at them kind of dumbfounded, but lets it fly.

Matt takes a glimpse of Tom's look and that brings him back to the main reason why they start discussing.

"Don't think that I forgot it, you, shameful, abominable traitor!" he accuses him, once again.

"Actually, guys, we didn't even give him the time to explain. " Chris makes them notice and then he points at Tom. "Maybe it's not what we think, maybe it's just one of his shrewd plans to beguile their manager, getting precious information and then stealing her mobile, in order to prevent her from being in contact with her band." Chris presumes, knowing very well that 'conspiracy' is the keyword to be in tune with Matthew.

"Tom, did you really do such a thing?" the frontman asks him, as his eyes sparkle with hope.

"No, no, fucking no! We just decided to buy two identical mobiles, because we thought it would be something nice, but less binding than a ring. Anyway, I don't care, you just have to accept that, because I care about her, she cares about me and we are more than intentioned to turn this story into something serious." Tom warns them.

"So, you're not a simple traitor, you're a persistent traitor!" Matt snaps.

"Just quit it, Bells! It's not about you, it's not even about Placebo, it's just something between Alex and I" Tom states, intransigent. "Plus, you keep calling me a traitor, but you don't know what Chris did once…" he goes on, as the bassist glares at him with a 'Don't you dare!' look, dreading that he already knows what he's about to say.

"What do you mean?" Matt frowns.

"Do you remember your so beloved golden hat? Well, truth is that you didn't lost it, but it was Chris who stole it from you and got rid of it."

"You what?" Matt exclaims, astonished, looking at Chris like he had stabbed him in the back.

"Damn you, Chris! Why did you do that? Do you have the slightest idea of how many stores I went to, before finding its perfect twin?" Dom intervenes.

"Oh, c'mon, Bells! Firstly, that hat was horrible. Secondly, just like Dom said, you have another one, now, so why should you complain?" Chris justifies.

"I just know that I' m gonna keep it in a strongbox, like a jewel, far away from you and your bloody clutches!" Matt perjures.

Chris looks at Tom with a hurt expression, once again.

"How could you blurt that to him? And to think that I even tried to help you, before…"

"Well, you gave me such a great help, after all!" Tom strikes back, sarcastically. "Anyway, Chris, nothing personal, really, but it's such a hard struggle for survival." he justifies.

"Okay, if it's so… well, Matt, you don't know that… Dom is a very big fan of My Chemical Romance!" Chris reveals.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT? Oh, God, I'm surrounded by traitors!" the frontman gets alarmed.

"Honey, please, try to understand, those guys are not so bad, after all, they have powerful guitars, a proper drummer and... damn, Matt, as catastrophic as you are, I just don't understand why you haven't fallen in love with the lyrics of their songs, yet!" Dom strikes back, as Tom can't help noticing that 'honey' the blond addressed to Matt with.

"Anyway, even if I don't agree, I'll let you free to sabotage them as much as you please!" the drummer adds, making his partner smile again.

Anyway, Dominic is too engrossed glaring at Chris, to notice that.

"Chris, I didn't mean to come to saying that, but you just deserve it, so … Tom, Matt, maybe you don't know that… he likes crocheting!" Dom strikes, unmercifully.

His listeners immediately burst out laughing madly.

"But... no… Dom, what the hell are you blathering about?" Chris replies, panic-stricken.

"I saw you once, so don't you dare deny that!"

"But, no… it's just that I was using it as a weapon!" he tries to justify, unsuccessfully.

"Yeah, sure! And what did you exactly plan to do with it? To knit a sweater to your potential attacker?" Matt makes fun of him.

"Okay, guys, you just asked for that. Tom, you don't know that… Matt and Dom are together!" Chris reveals.

Everyone shuts up, but after some seconds it's Tom who breaks the silence.

"Together like the fact that you are one next to the other… right?" Tom asks them, wavering.

"Well, mostly one upon the other, or one behind the other... and vice versa!" the blond removes all doubt.

"Damn you, Dom!" Matt reproaches him.

"What? What did I do so wrong? After all, we'll have to tell him, sooner or later, so let's do it now! And we must thank Chris for that." Dominic explains.

"So, now I guess that you need explanations, right?" Matt wonders, turning to Tom.

"Explanation … and a very alcoholic drink!" he replies.

"And that's how we came to this." Matthew concludes, as, taking turns, they all have informed Tom about the vicissitudes of the latest months.

"Oh." is all Tom manages to say, probably still too shocked to speak.

"So, you will keep being our manager, won't you?" Dominic asks him, with a hint of uncertainty.

"Of course, I will, you are and you'll always be my friends, independently of your… errr… sexual preferences!" Tom reassures them, a little bit embarrassed.

"Anyway, we're not going to spread the word about this. Chris and you, Tom, are the only ones who know… well, except from Gaia and Jessica, but I don't think they care about spreading this news." Matthew comments.

"But if somehow the truth came out, on the musical level it wouldn't change anything, we're still the Muse and if some of our fans won't accept that, well, they're not real fans, so we'd better lose them." Dominic goes on.

"Guys, don't cross your bridges before coming to them. If it doesn't happen it's better, but if it should happen, we'll know how to face everything." their manager heartens them. "So, now can we talk about something that it's not my sentimental situation, Chris' hobbies or your mutual love?" he exhorts them.

"Sure! We have such a big, epic event to face. I already have lots of ideas for it. You know, I was thinking about an advertising campaign with reverse psychology system." Matthew suggests, very excited.

"Such as?" Tom looks at him, in disbelief.

"You know, something like 'Hey, people, don't come to see our show at Wembley, it's nothing special, after all, it's not such a nice place, there won't be any cool bands, even our playlist will be kind of insignificant, and…'" he attempts to explain, before Chris and Dom promptly silence him up, wrapping their hand around his mouth.

"Damn you, Bells, didn't you cause enough damage with your fucking, bloody, sodding reverse psychology?" Dom snaps.

"Please, Tom, don't mind what Matt said." Chris advises him, as his listener rolls his eyes, exasperated.

"Don't worry, Chris, I've quit doing that a long time ago!"

TBC

So, are you ready for the (100% BellDom) epilogue?

Just a little note: in 'Try Something New' I started writing about Tom and Alex (the Placebo's manager) getting along, a lot… so I ended up falling in love with this pairing and I keep using it whenever I got the chance… hope you won't mind.

The most funny thing is that I've never seen Alex, but I like picturing her like a petite blonde, very pushy! ^^

Hope you'll still like it and have fun with this story, pleeeease let me know! ;P


	23. Epilogue: Home Our home

Summary of the chapter: Our beloved guys start their living together and plan lots of stuff…

Epilogue: Home. Our home.

A FEW WEEKS LATER

The American tour ended. Chris, Matthew and Dominic are heading towards the airport, inside a limousine.

"I promise that, next time I see you, I'll get accustomed to your tender attitude, but now… could you please stop it?" Chris gently asks them, a little embarrassed by the fact that Dominic is insistently cupping Matt's ass, set off by his white, skinny jeans, and the brunet is showing him how much he likes that, peppering his nape with kisses as one hands slips through his black shirt.

"Oops, sorry. We did it again!" Dom apologizes, also for Matt, as the brunet parts from him, snorting to show his disappointment.

"How can it be that you're unable to keep some distance from one another?" Chris grumbles.

"Try to understand. It's already so hard to resist during the shows. Today is gonna be even harder, because of the queues at the airport, the check in, the flight, the landing, the return… a whole day surrounded by people!" Matthew complains.

"You're right, but, Mattie, just think about all the privacy we'll get once we arrive to your house." Dominic makes him notice.

"That's not correct. *Our* house. From now on it will be our house." Matthew smiles at him, as he holds his hand.

Dominic smiles back at him.

Finally, they recall that Chris is still there with them.

"Sorry, Chris, are we allowed to hold hands, at least?" Dominic wonders, concerned.

"Yep, you're allowed." their friend rolls his eyes, giving in.

His only consolation is that it will be a short ride.

They reach the airport and at the check in they split up, taking two different directions: Chris heads towards UK and can't wait to come back to his beloved wife and kids, as Matt and Dom's destination is Italy.

"So, big guy, see you soon. You can come to pay a visit to us, whenever you want." Matt greets him, hugging him, and then Dom does the same.

"You're welcome to my house, too. Sure, you just have to …err… avoid too explicit attitudes!" Chris states, a little bit awkwardly.

"We'll try our best to resist!" Dominic solemnly promises.

The trio says the last goodbyes, but before queuing, Chris prefers to go to the Duty Free, heading towards the DVD area.

He grabs the DVD of 'Brokeback Mountain', 'The Birdcage' and the first season of 'Queer as Folk'.

- Just to get accustomed to this kind of things… - he reckons, but before he reaches the cash desk, his ego has something to say.

- Wait a minute. I can't let someone see me as I buy this crap! OK, I'll get accustomed to that just downloading this stuff from the web. - Chris decides, more wisely, putting the DVDs back on their shelf, with discretion.

In the late afternoon, Matthew and Dominic get off the taxi, giving a very generous tip to the Italian driver, before heading towards the brunet's huge mansion.

Dominic has been reading the names of the roads, trying to find some reference points all time long.

Matthew is showing him the way, but he notices that.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"It's simple. I'm trying to memorize the way. If for some reasons you won't be here with me sometimes and I'll wander through these lanes all alone, I'll have to remember the way that leads me home, don't you think so?" Dom justifies.

Matthew smiles, caressing his face and taking advantage of the fact that they are in a private, isolate alley.

"Repeat it…" the brunet murmurs.

"What? That I'm memorizing the way?"

"No. The other part: home. Our home." Matt clarifies.

This time it's Dom who smiles at him.

"Home. From now on, every time I come back home, it will be here."

"That's not exact. This is just an alley, we must still walk a little more to go home." Matt pinpoints.

"Damn you, Bells, you broke the magic of this moment!" the blond snorts.

"I had to break it, we were becoming way too sickeningly sugary!" Matt states.

"Maybe you're right. So, how far is home? I'm sick of walking!" Dom complains.

"But… we've left the taxi nothing more than three minutes ago. " Matt strikes back, as he resumes showing him the way.

"That's it, we've been walking for ages!" Dom insists.

"C'mon, it's not very far from here. Just stop memorizing the way. You know what? For the first times I'll make you wander here with a GPS!" Matt makes fun of him.

"It could be a cool idea. Do you think that the GPS will understand if I set as destination 'The love of my life'?" Dominic murmurs.

Matt turns to face him.

"Uh! Yeah, sorry, I did it again. Too sugary." the blond rolls his eyes.

"Maybe. But it was so cute!" the brunet smiles, giving him a peck on his lips. "Dom, are you sure you will like living in Como?" he asks for confirmations.

"To live next to one of the most fashionable towns of the whole continent? Do you even have to ask me? No matter how much I love you, just forget about me during the Fashion Week!" the drummer answers, making him laugh.

After something like fifty steps they finally get home. Matthew draws out the keys, opens the door and lets in to assure himself that everything is fine, as Dominic prefers waiting for him, outside.

A few minutes later, Matt comes back to him, pretty satisfied.

"Gaia kept her word and took away all her stuff, there's not a single trace of her anymore." he asserts, letting Dom in. "Now, you must help me. This house has been closed for a while, we have to get busy and arrange it better. Don't even try to tell me you're tired. After all, we've slept for more than half flight, I'm dying to invest my energies in something!" he explains, as he opens the windows, to let the sunlight in, so he can switch off the artificial lights.

"What? You're kidding! Firstly, you made me walk for miles and now you even expect me to work hard? It's not the amazing life together I've been dreaming of, you know?" the blond snaps, as he let himself sink on the comfortable sofa. "Anyway, Mattie, there are other ways to invest your energies…" he adds, immediately after, looking at him seductively and lying down on the sofa.

But his attitude doesn't seem to impress Matt at all.

"C'mon, Dommie! I don't want to call a clean-up crew, it's so annoying, so impersonal! Don't you want to feel exhausted, but because of a nice tiredness that comes from the big satisfaction of being the maker of the benefit you got from it? It's such a priceless feeling!" the singer rambles, speaking scarily fast and very excitedly.

"I haven't the slightest idea of what the hell you blathered about, but my answer is still 'No. Fucking. Way!'" the drummer grumbles, getting up.

"What if I tell you that it's gonna be fun?" his partner winks at him.

"I just can't see how…" the blond replies, doubtfully.

"Wait for me, here." Matt orders, mysteriously, before going upstairs.

Dom hears Matt messing about for a while, and then one of his stereo begins to play 'I want to break free', by Queen.

When Dom sees Matt going downstairs, he's breathless: Matt is holding a motorised, rolling duster and is dancing and singing along the song. He waves his pelvis and butt and pretends to play the duster as if it was a guitar.

What is really shocking Dom is the way he's dressed up… or rather not dressed up, because Matt is wearing just a pair of pink sunglasses, heart-shaped, and a pink, housewife apron, with flowers printed on it… and nothing else.

That's what leaves Dom with no salivation.

"Matthew… you're wonderful!" he approaches him, with a predatory attitude.

"Told you it would be fun!" the frontman states, lowering his sunglasses. "And there's one rule only to help me: take off your pants and shirt. You don't want to spoil your nice, designer clothes, do you?" Matt exhorts him, as he takes his partner's clothes off, good and proper.

"You know, I must admit that, suddenly, out of the blue, I feel like helping you, very, very willingly…" Dom whispers in his ear, nibbling his lobe.

"Do you realize that it's March and we both risk getting pneumonia?" Dominic pinpoints, as he's wearing his boxers only.

"I just know that, whenever I'm with you, I feel fire burning inside me!" the other replies, as he explores the blond's chest with his hands.

"Me too. What can I say? We'll save money of the heating!" the drummer remarks, wittingly, as he grabs a cloth and the window cleaner, ready to clean the windows.

He kisses ardently the brunet, pressing him against the window he's cleaning.

Maybe is not the most efficient cleaning system, but they surely find it intriguing.

And among dusting, cleaning, sweeping and floor washing, every occasion is perfect to jump on each other, in every corner of the house.

A couple of hours later they both lay down on the sofa, drained, worn out, but because of that satisfying tiredness Matthew blathered about.

"Matt, you told me that Gaia took away all her stuff, right?" Dom wonders, with his head on his mate's lap, as he toys with the apron he still wears.

"She did. Why?" the other asks him, passing a hand through his blond, now messy hair.

"Does it mean that this is *yours*?" Dom figures out.

"Yep, this is my official apron for chores or when I cook. As you can easily guess, usually I happen to wear also clothes under it." Matthew clarifies.

His only answer, Dom bursts out laughing.

"What? What did I say wrong?" the frontman gets agitated.

"Nothing. You're just amazing!" the drummer wraps his arms around his neck, stealing the umpteenth kiss.

At evening they have a shower, because it's dinner's time.

Matthew grabs his phone to order two pizzas from his trusted restaurant, hoping to talk with someone who speaks English.

Dominic takes care of the drinks. He knows that Matthew's fridge never lacks beer, but he finds also something unexpected.

"Matthew, is it one of your purchases?" he calls him out.

The singer reaches him, satisfied because he managed to place his order.

They both stare in awe at the huge, red wine flagon that towers the base of the majestic two door-fridge.

"Nope. Quite the contrary, I didn't even imagine that such giant flagons could exist." the brunet grumbles in confusion, as he tries to touch the flagon.

He notices the piece on paper next to it.

"'This is for you, guys, to celebrate your new life together. Enjoy it. From Gaia and Jessica. P.S. We hope it will go down the wrong way!'" Matthew reads loudly.

"Aww, they were so nice!" Dominic squeals.

"They understood and this is a sort of armistice. " Matthew states.

They exchange a doubtful look, recalling how the girls found out about their relationship, what they said, how they reacted.

"I'm sure it's poisoned. We'd better get rid of it!" Dominic decides.

"I have a better idea. I could make a present for my dear, neighbour Clooney…" Matthew suggests, with an evil smirk.

"No bloody way, I don't wanna spend the rest of my life seeing you behind bars and taking oranges to you. Let's just get rid of this flagon!" Dominic insists and, even if unwillingly, Matthew obeys.

"After all, you're such a connoisseur of intoxication attempts, aren't you, Bells?" Dom questions him, reproach in his voice.

"Enough with that story! Are you still angry? After all, nothing big happened." Matthew shrugs.

"Well, My Chemical Romance doesn't think so. They had to cancel two gigs and it's just your fault!" the first snaps.

"But I didn't do anything bad. I've just brought some pancakes to them, as offer of peace. You know, the rules of a good neighbourly relation." the second justifies, with all the innocence he can show.

"Yeah, sure, and *casually* those pancakes were stuffed with laxative!" Dom crosses his arms on his chest.

"Yep. I swear I thought it was maple syrup. Gee, I'm so absent-minded!" Matt acts dumb.

"Nope. You're just evil!" the blond strikes back.

"Well, I'm the VladyMatt who turns you on so badly…" Matt replies, shrewdly.

After all, he knows that it's always a winning move. As a matter of fact, Dom stops arguing and resumes smiling at him.

At late night, after seeing TV together, because they're too tired to go out, they're ready to go to bed.

Dom prepares himself in the bathroom, as Matthew waits for him, skimming through the pages of a book, absently.

When Dom comes back, Matt is almost tempted to throw the book against him.

"Where the hell did you fucking buy that bloody shit?" the brunet growls, narrowing his eyes as he observes his mate.

"Well, you know, on the last two gigs I paid a visit to their official merchandising stand and... I guess it was something cute, a souvenir from the tour with them!" Dominic explains, showing proudly black boxers matched with a black My Chemical Romance t-shirt.

"Dom, gee, no! Dammit, you chose just a t-shirt with their faces printed on, like a teenager in heat!" Matthew protests, lively.

"What can I say? They have such pretty faces that look good on t-shirts, especially the frontman's pretty face!" the blond teases him.

His only answer, Matt leaves the bedroom and comes back a few minutes later.

"You know, Dom, I guess that I'll finally make you happy, since you've been craving this for so long…" he exclaims, showing him something that turns Dom on like hell, as soon as he sees it. "This time we are really gonna make love, using a knife!" he warns him, with a maniac look, smiling in anticipation only at the thought of tearing that t-shirt to shreds.

His only answer, Dom jumps on the mattress with an excited yelp, waiting for Matthew to make the first move.

- I knew it would work! - the blond thinks, satisfied, but, as a proper calculating person, he doesn't dare to tell Matt about his very well plotted, wicked plan.

Matthew wakes up abruptly, hearing a deafening noise that has a regular and measured rhythm.

- It keeps time way too much to be an earthquake! - he reckons, as he glances at the alarm clock that informs him that it's 7:00 a.m. .

The noise goes on, louder and louder and finally Matthew realizes what, or rather whom, its source is.

Unwillingly, he gets up and rushes furiously towards the studio he has inside the house, where he finds Dominic, engrossed playing at the drums.

"Honey, finally you're awake, it's wonderful!" the blond welcomes him, cheerfully.

"What the fuck are you doing, why the fuck are you doing that and why just at this fucking time of the fucking day?"

Dominic has a sudden flashback about how unpleasant Matt can be at early morning.

"I... I couldn't sleep anymore, so I went here and… I was sure it would be something nice, that's why I left the door open, on purpose. I know you love waking up with music. As a matter of fact, it's you the one who usually plays at very questionable time of the day or the night!" Dom justifies, very calmly.

His calm does nothing but making his listener angrier and angrier.

"OK, but I play the piano, it's bloody different! This is not music at all, it's just a hellish racket! You can't compare that to the sweet notes of a piano!" the brunet snaps.

Dominic looks at him guilty, and then he pouts.

Matthew becomes powerless.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it. Drums have a marvellous sound, but maybe I'd appreciate that more in the afternoon." Matt tries to make him reason, with a softer tone, as he sits on the drums, in front of him.

The blond stares at him with expectations.

"Don't have any dirty thought, I've just sat down!" the brunet clarifies.

"It's impossible to look at you without having dirty thoughts!" his partner strikes back.

"I don't give a fuck. Just keep them to yourself. It's already a miracle that I manage to speak right now!" Matt makes him desist, as he yawns.

"As you wish. Anyway, instead of going back to sleep, we should take advantage of the situation. By now no one will be around, so why don't we go out and take a walk?" the blond suggests to him.

"What? Look, walking is even more laborious than shagging! Plus, you are the guy who hates walking, aren't you?" the brunet makes him notice.

"Just after a journey, with the suitcases and everything. Oh, c'mon, Matteh, let's take a walk! It would be so cool. Think about that: you and me, holding hands, across the Bellamy Lake…" Dom insists, already knowing that he pushed the right button.

As a matter of fact, Matthew lights up, grinning at Dominic, madly.

"How did you call it?" he asks for confirmations, staring at him with sparkling eyes.

"With its proper name." the blond winks at the brunet.

"OK, give me five minutes and then we'll go out." the other states, fully reawaken, disappearing in a heartbeat.

Dom goes changing clothes, as well, as he sneers, proudly.

- My dear Matty, it's even too easy to subdue you. -

It's afternoon. Matthew is allowing himself the rest that has been denied to him during the morning and the blond lets him sleep peacefully, but a few hours later he reaches him in their room.

"C'mon, sleepyhead, open your amazing eyes, I have a little something for you…" Dom whispers to him, as he scrapes his mate's nape, lightly.

The brunet gets the sweet awakening he hoped for.

He immediately notices the little box that the blond is holding.

At the beginning, Matt smiles at Dom, but then, recalling the previous night, he becomes diffident.

"If it's a My Terrible Lost Chance key-ring, I swear I'll make you gulp it down!" he threatens Dom.

"Shut up and open the box!" Dom exhorts him.

Matt obeys and stares in awe at the silver necklace that there's inside.

"Dommy, it's wonderful!" he exclaims, wearing it, immediately. "I'm gonna wear it at Wembley, for sure!" he promises.

"I'm glad you like it. Anyway, you figured out what it is, didn't you?" Dom wonders.

"A necklace?" Matt looks at him, puzzled.

"Of course it's a necklace, you, ninny! But It has a symbolic meaning. What is it a necklace? A jewel. And you know what I think about jewels." Dom makes him notice.

"Does it mean that… you want a serious relationship?" his listener figures out, beaming with joy.

"The most serious ever!" the blond assures, pecking his lips.

"Gee, we're rushing things. If this is only our second month together, what will we do after our first year together? Will we get married?" Matt jokes, giggling.

Dominic amazes him with his answer.

"Why not? And to think we've even been in Las Vegas! But I don't care, I prefer Spain as location for our marriage, it's more suggestive!"

"Alright! I see that you are already planning that day." Matt smiles at him.

The most beautiful thing is that that possibility doesn't scare Matthew, either.

"So, if you already chose the location, I'll choose the song, because you know that I find the wedding march boring, banal and bloody predictable. The soundtrack of our wedding will be 'Sober'." Matt suggests.

"Bells, in that song you do nothing but keep screaming 'You are so solid/It burns inside me'. I don't think it's the most proper soundtrack for a ceremony!" Dom makes him notice, resorting to all the patience he has.

"That's a pity, it has such a cool groove. OK, let's choose 'Super Massive Black Hole' then, and I won't accept any compromise on it!" Matt summons him and Dom doesn't even try to protest.

After all, he likes that choice, a lot.

"Alright. We still have to pick up the best men: I want Chris!" Matt adds.

"No way, *I* want Chris!" Dom complains.

"But I've been faster than you!" the other laughs.

Dominic can do one thing only: pout.

Matt's reaction is instantaneous.

"OK, OK, you can keep Chris." the frontman surrenders. "So I'll pick up Tom and Pinkie!" he adds, enlightened.

"What? No way. I don't want a suitcase to participate at *my* wedding!" the drummer protests, lively.

"Thank your lucky stars that now Pinkie is in front of the computer, as he checks his my-space page and didn't hear you. He hates being called 'suitcase'!" the singer scolds him.

Dom is almost scared of asking him that.

"Pinkie has a my-space page?"

"Sure. I've subscribed him last week and now he already has more than one-hundred and twenty friends!" Matt explains, with a proud grin.

"But… how?"

Dom doesn't complete his question, He prefers not to investigate.

"Anyway, Pinkie will participate!" Matt insists, resolutely.

"If you want Pinkie, I want Jamie as my best men. We'll just have to put a big mirror in front of the altar!" the blond decides.

"Reflections can't be best men!" Matt grumbles.

"Neither can trolleys!" Dom strikes back, bitterly.

"I don't think so. Pinkie would bring us the rings, impeccably." Matt insists.

"Whatever! Anyway, I made my decision. Jamie or not, I want a big mirror in front of us, so I can see how good I look as I'm marrying you. After all, all the grooms are always beautiful!" Dom states.

"All the *brides* are!" Matt corrects him.

"It's the same!" the blond shrugs.

"By the way, we can't be both grooms, there should be a bride." Matthew points out.

"Well, let's say I'll be a… gride." Dom suggests.

"So, that makes me a … broom. I like it!" Matt approves.

"Anyway, don't you find it funny? I mean, we don't even know what to do if people find about us, and if we carry on this way it's gonna happen soon, and yet here we go, daydreaming about our wedding day!" Dom chuckles.

"If people find the truth, we'll face the consequences, together. Dominic James Howard, I have you by my side. I couldn't care less about the rest of the world." Matthew murmurs, caressing Dom's face with the back of his hand.

"Aawww, another sugary moment. I begin to like that…" the blond smiles, crawling on Matt and straddling him. "Let me show you how much I do."

THE END

Yep, this is the end. :(

I'll miss this story a lot. It's the longest one I've ever written so far, about Muse.

OK, some quick notes:

- I don't know abroad, but in Italy visitors bring oranges to the prisoners, it's a sort of tradition! ;)

- About My Chemical Romance, the intoxication news is true (poor, dear guys!) … but not the fact that it's Matt's fault, of course. Well , it could be, lol!

- About the silver necklace, Matthew wore it for real at Wembley (and also at Florence and Verona) and I don't know why, but as soon as I saw it the fangirl in me screamed in my mind 'That's a gift from Dom!'

- About the 'Sober' song I had hypothesized a BellDom one-shot, but then I changed my mind and compress it all in that sentence. I just have to quit hypothesizing stuff, lol!

- Pictures' time! ^^ So, you can picture how bloody yummy Matt looked in his (kinky) outfit:

sunglasses: http:/ www. /images /Image/Heart%20Sunglasses_pink. jpg

apron: _http :/ www .pianetadonna. it/pictures/20091126/ grembiule-da-cucina- chic .jpeg_

As I said before, this is the end of the story, but not of the series (In Italian, I wrote also a Christmas sequel and more ^^) . Yeah, truth is that I love those crazy, absurd, parodied versions of them way too much to abandon them! ^^

So there's gonna be a sequel, a mini-series/ spin-off about them living together in Como.

It will be a collection of very short (and stupid) one-shots.

The problem is that the main topic is the Italian television and the effects it has on them, which means that there will be a lots of references to Italian stuff.

I'll try my best to translate everything, in order to make you understand, but it won't be easy.

Hope you had fun with this story as much as I had fun writing it.

Cheers!


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